New research shows eight out of ten students in the San Diego Unified School District graduated last year. That graduation rate compares favorably to other large urban school districts -- however it still doesn't satisfy federal academic standards. KPBS Reporter Ana Tintocalis has more.
The California Department of Education has a new student tracking system that pinpoints graduation rates.
The preliminary data for San Diego Unified shows roughly 78-percent of its teenagers actually get a high school diploma -- that's one percentage point shy of what's required under the No Child Left Behind Act.
Even so, San Diego is doing better than Los Angeles Unified but not as well as San Francisco Unified.
Tina Jung is with the state's department of education. She says this new data makes districts more accountable.
Jung: It's a very powerful tool to track student achievement. It will help us target our programs to help kids stay in school, earn a high school diploma, and hopefully prepare them better for global economic jobs of the future.
About a week ago, California's new student tracking system showed a quarter of San Diego public high school students dropped out last year.
Ana Tintocalis, KPBS News.
