RICHMOND (AP) -- More than 81 percent of the students in the class of 2008 received a diploma after four years of high school, the Virginia Department of Education said Wednesday in a report that gave a more precise -- and higher -- figure than previous studies.

State education officials said they were pleased with the overall results but concerned about significantly lower graduation rates in some communities and among black, Hispanic and disadvantaged students statewide.

The report marks the first time Virginia has tracked individual students from year to year to get a precise on-time graduation rate. The previous, less accurate, methodology produced an estimated graduation rate last year of 73.5 percent.

"The fact that better than eight of 10 students in Virginia graduate on time with a diploma is gratifying, given that estimates relied on in the past were much lower," Board of Education President Mark E. Emblidge said. "But even as we recognize this success we must do more to raise graduation rates, especially in schools serving minority and low-income communities."

Said Superintendent of Public Instruction Pamela I. Wright: "We are clearly better off than we thought we were, but not as good as we want to be."

The on-time graduation rates ranged from 56.7 percent in Portsmouth to 97.6 percent in Falls Church. Fairfax County, the largest and one of the most affluent school districts in the state, came in at 91.2 percent.

The report also showed a racial disparity in graduation rates statewide: Asians, 92.9 percent; whites, 85.3 percent; blacks, 72.6 percent; and Hispanics, 70.4 percent. The figures were 69.8 percent for economically disadvantaged students and 68.5 percent for students with limited English proficiency.

Angela A. Ciolfi, attorney for a children's advocacy program at the Legal Aid Justice Center in Charlottesville, said Virginia is doing better than most other states, but the racial, economic and geographic differences are troubling. The data shows white students are earning advanced diplomas at twice the rate of their black classmates, she noted.

"We're moving certain types of students toward excellence more than others," she said.

Ciolfi said education officials should address that problem, direct more resources to the 15 localities that had less than 70 percent on-time graduation rates and make overall improvement in graduation rates a high priority.

Wright said having accurate data will help officials develop strategies to improve the rates, especially for groups such as minorities that need the most assistance. Most of that work will be done locally, she said, although the state will provide as much support as possible.

The rates were calculated using a formula endorsed by the nation's governors and later adopted by the General Assembly and the Board of Education. Each ninth-grader is assigned a "state testing identifier" number that stays with the student through high school, allowing education officials to account for student mobility for the first time.

The National Governor's Association reported in July that 16 states had published data based on the formula. North Carolina, the only neighboring state using the formula, reported a 69.9 percent graduation rate for 2007.

Wright emphasized that the 81.3 percent graduation rate does not mean the dropout rate is 18.7 percent. She said thousands of students who entered ninth grade in 2004 and are counted in the class of '08 are still in school working toward a diploma, while others received a GED or locally awarded certificate of completion.

The department will release dropout data early next year.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Virginia on-time graduation rates

Source: Virginia Dept. of Education