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Oregon's graduation rate for the class of 2015 rose to 74 percent, a record high for the state. Forty-seven other states did better, the federal government reported Monday.

(Casey Parks / The Oregonian / 2014)

Oregon's graduation rate for the class of 2015 ranks third worst in the country, the U.S. Department of Education reported Monday.

Although Oregon improved its rate from 2014 to 2015, to 74 percent, Alaska improved its rate even more, bypassing Oregon. That pushed Oregon down a notch, from fourth-worst, where it stood for the class of 2014, to the No. 48 spot.

Both Oregon and Washingon rank among the worst 10 states when it comes to graduating students in four years of high school. Oregon ranks third-lowest in the nation for the class of 2015, one notch worse than the year before.

Only New Mexico, at 69 percent, and Nevada, at 71 percent, had a worse track record of helping students earn diplomas in four years. At the other end of the spectrum, Iowa, at 91 percent, and New Jersey, at 90 percent, led the nation.

Nationwide, the high school graduation rate rose to a record high 83 percent, the U.S. Department of Education reported Monday. President Obama traveled to a District of Columbia high school to make the triumphant announcement and talk about programs launched during his administration to spur students to go to college and help them to earn degrees.

"We have made a lot of progress," the president told students at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School, which boasted a 100 percent graduation rate this year. "I just want to be honest with you. We still got more work to do...There are still too many states that are cutting back on public education."



For the first time since the nation moved to a new, more accurate rate of measuring graduation rates in 2011, Oregon did not rank dead-last at graduating white students. New Mexico, where the white graduation rate fell for the class of 2015, claimed that dubious distinction, with 74 percent of its white students earning diplomas in four years of high school. Oregon's graduation rate among white students ranked second-worst, at 76 percent.

Experts say a complicated set of factors helps explain Oregon's shocking lack of success at getting students to graduate from high school. But it's clear that the state's epidemic of students missing one-tenth of the school year or more is a prime contributor, they say.

One of the many measures on the November ballot, Measure 98, aims to improve the moribund graduation rate. If voters approve it, the state would have to set aside about $800 per student for schools to spend exclusively on expanding dropout prevention strategies, including battling chronic absenteeism; expanding career-technical course offerings; and expanding availability of college-credit courses for high school students.

Note: This post has been updated to name New Mexico as the state with the worst graduation rate for white students. The original version named the incorrect state.

-- Betsy Hammond