Minneapolis had the lowest graduation rates compared to 50 other major cities, according to a study released by a Washington-based education group.

The city's four-year graduation rate was below 50 percent, while the national average is approximately 75 percent.

The rates are for the entire city student population in the city of Minneapolis, not just the Minneapolis school district. The study, conducted by the Center for Reinventing Public Education, evaluated the graduation rates for students in public and charter schools.

“I hope this will serve as a catalyst for city leaders to take a look at where they might be falling short and identify other cities they might learn from,” says CRPE Senior Research Analyst Michael DeArmond, the report’s lead author.

The group also found that only 4 percent of all Minneapolis high school students took the ACT or SAT, and students of color and low-income households were less likely to attend a top performing school.

The inequities in Minneapolis were also typical in the other cities CRPE studied, including Milwaukee, Washington D.C., New Orleans and New York City.

To read the entire study click here.

