Last week the Baltimore Sun reported that graduation rates in Baltimore City increased across all demographic groups in 2018, according to data just released by the Maryland Department of Education.
Of the 5,195 students in the city’s 2018 graduating class, 72.2 percent graduated in four years — an increase of 1.5 percentage points from the class of 2017 that represents the largest jump in more than five years. It’s emblematic of a larger upward trajectory: Since 2010, the city’s four-year graduation rate has increased by more than 10 percentage points.
The statewide four-year graduation rate fell slightly in 2018.
In recent years, Open Society Institute-Baltimore has employed specific strategies to increase the city’s graduation rate, including creating the Re-Engagement Center to keep young people connected to schools, and establishing High Value High Schools, including Bard Early College High School to create opportunities for young people with a range of learning styles.
