Closing the Achievement Gap

Like the country as a whole, Washington has an unacceptable achievement gap between minority and non-minority students. Minority students drop out at higher rates, are less likely to graduate on time, and are less likely to meet academic standards than their non-minority peers. While 75 percent of white students in Washington graduate from high school on time, the same is true for only 60 percent of African-American and Hispanic students. Similarly, while only 19 percent of white students drop out of high school, a full 30 percent of Hispanics and 33 percent of African-Americans leave high school without earning a diploma.

The achievement gap is an urgent problem, and one that will become increasingly urgent as the state's percentage of minority students continues to grow. Projections suggest that by 2015 Hispanic graduates from public schools in Washington will increase by 84 percent from their 2004‐05 levels. African-American students are expected to grow by 15 percent during the same time period. Washington's minority students are growing in number—the state must ensure that it has active and effective policies in place to address the achievement gap and ensure all students get an education that prepares them for college and the workplace.