From Howard County Public Schools: Howard County public school students are graduating at significantly higher rates than their peers across Maryland. African-American students and those affected by poverty are showing notable gains.

"The graduation rate is a measure of our success in fully preparing students for college and the workforce," said Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) Superintendent Renee A. Foose. "The rates of improvement among our African-American and FARM student groups are especially encouraging, and affirm our system's progress in fulfilling the promise of preparation for every student." At 93.21 percent, the HCPSS Class of 2016 graduation rate is the highest among the six Maryland systems with enrollment of more than 50,000 students, and exceeds the state average of 87.61 percent by 5.6 percentage points. While showing a slight dip compared to the 2015 rate of 93.47 percent, the 2016 HCPSS rate marks a five-year jump of more than 2.5 percentage points from 90.64 percent in 2011. The statistics reflect data for the cohort of students graduating within four years after entering high school. HCPSS has maintained graduation rates well above 90 percent for more than 10 years.

Graduation rates among specific student groups, including African-American students and those receiving Free and Reduced Price Meals (FARMs), show notable improvement. At 90.31 percent, the graduation rate for HCPSS African-American students is up more than two full percentage points over the 87.94 percent rate last year. African-American student achievement also exceeds the state average of 84.06 percent by more than 6 percentage points, and shows a five-year improvement of 9.36 percentage points over the HCPSS Class of 2011. The 83.31 percent rate for FARMs students shows an increase of 9.03 percentage points since 2011, and significantly exceeds the 79.2 percent 2016 average for the state. HCPSS dropout patterns echo the graduation rate trends. At 3.96 percent, the dropout rate for the Class of 2016 is less than half the state average of 7.97 percent, and has decreased significantly from the 5.93 percent rate for the Class of 2011. Dropout rates among African-American students are down nearly 6 percentage points for the same period, with 5.8 percent for 2016 compared to 11.65 in 2011. The rates among FARM students show similarly impressive trends, falling from 19.32 percent in 2011 to 12.34 percent for 2016—a decrease of nearly seven full percentage points.