A new report on the 2018 Most & Least Educated States in America by Wallet Hub has some Texans scratching their heads.
The Lone Star State is ranked 49th in the nation for the lowest percentage of high school diploma holders, implying for some that our graduation rate leaves something to be desired.
Though she had not seen the report, Donna Bahorich, chair of the Texas State Board of Education, correctly guessed the report was based on U.S. Census data and explained the confusion. “What you are seeing is the effect of possibly having migrants come through who don’t have a high school diploma or didn’t get an education in their home country,” she suggests.
In reality, the graduation rate in Texas is one of the best in the nation. ”For the class of 2007 78% of our students id graduate on time. That number has now risen to 89% for the class of 2017,’ she instructs.
According to Wallet Hub, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, here is where Texas stands:
49th – % of High-School Diploma Holders
37th – % of Associate's Degree Holders or College-Experienced Adults
29th – % of Bachelor’s Degree Holders
33rd – % of Graduate- or Professional-Degree Holders
26th – Avg. University Quality
7th – Racial Gap in Educational Attainment
1st – Gender Gap in Educational Attainment