State graduation rates rise

MADISON (AP) - Wisconsin high school graduation rates rose to nearly 90 percent last school year, with slight increases for nearly every minority group.

According to Department of Public Instruction statistics, graduation rates ticked up half a percentage point from the 2008 school year to 89.9 percent in the 2009 school year.

Nearly 71 percent of Wisconsin public and charter schools reported graduation rates higher than the state average.

Graduation rates increased among most minorities as well. English-language learners were the only group to see a decrease, dropping nearly 3 percentage points in the last year. African-American students have the lowest graduation rate of any group in the state at 67 percent.

The department also reports a four-year graduation rate of 85.7 percent for Wisconsin high school children.