NM high school graduation rate shows improvement

New Mexico’s high school graduation rate reached a record high in 2016 but was still second-worst in the nation, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Education. Seventy-one percent of New Mexico students earned a cap and gown in 2016, just ahead of Washington, D.C., at 69 percent. Nationally, the 2016 graduation rate hit a record 84 percent, and top-performing states Iowa and New Jersey surpassed 90 percent.