Racial gap: Graduation rates lower for Black, Hispanic students than for white students

This time of year, hundreds of New Hanover County students are walking across stages to receive their diplomas, marking the end of their high school careers, and the beginning of a whole new chapter in their lives.

While nearly nine-in-10 students graduate high school in New Hanover County, that topline figure fails to acknowledge that sizeable disparities exist among white students and students of color when it comes to graduating high school.

In the 2021-22 school year, 92% of white students graduated in four years or less in New Hanover County Schools, according to data from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. That graduation rate is nearly 10 percentage points higher than Black students, and a further 15 percentage points more than Hispanic students.

Graduation rates vary across New Hanover County Schools’ four traditional high schools. At New Hanover High, the graduation rate among Hispanic students trails white students by 25 percentage points, and Black students lagged by nearly 20 percentage points, according to DPI’s data.

At Ashley High, the graduation rate of Black students was on par with white students at 92.9%, but only 74.5% of Hispanic students graduated in four years or less during the 2021-22 school year, according to DPI's data.

More: 'A continual cycle': Why Wilmington's failing schools aren't improving

More: Teacher turnover rates are rising. These 10 schools have the highest in New Hanover County.

The achievement gap between white students and students of color isn’t a new problem. Experts say the gap has closed some in recent years, but lingering effects from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as proposed cuts to public education and a deprioritization of the issue could cause students of color to fall even further behind their white classmates in the years to come.

“Schools are really out there on their own, and I think many schools and districts are focused on trying to close these gaps, but it becomes really difficult to do so when you don't have the support of other key parts of the community to achieve those goals,” said Robert Smith, education professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Locally, closing the achievement gap doesn’t appear to be a priority for the New Hanover County Board of Education, Smith said. The board seems more focused on “culture wars,” such as forbidding transgender students from middle school sports or banning books than ensuring all students in the district receive a proper education, Smith said.

Legislators at the state level aren’t prioritizing the achievement gap either, Smith said. They appear to be more focused on providing additional money to parents to send their students to charter or private schools.

More: After heated meeting, New Hanover changes policy on transgender athletes in middle schools

New Hanover County Board of Education Chair Pete Wildeboer didn't respond to questions from the StarNews.

"At this time, NHCS is not going to comment on this. We are happy to revisit after graduations are over," said Russell Clark, New Hanover County Schools' media relations manager, in a statement.

Making sure as many students as possible graduate high school is important, because a lack of student success has "huge implications" on communities, Smith said.

“We know that graduating from school provides a basic credential in terms of people having skills that will lead to employment,” Smith said. “Those who don't graduate are going to have much more difficulty finding employment.”

In addition to a lack of trained workers, Dorian Cromartie fears that if fewer students of color graduate high school, the issue could have negative impacts on Wilmington's crime rate and its growing homeless problem.

If a student is lucky, they’ll end up in the military, but oftentimes, kids who don’t graduate end up living on the streets, or they get involved in gun or gang violence, said Cromartie, a community advocate, and grandson of Rachel Freeman, namesake for Freeman Elementary.

“We are failing these kids, and we are going to see the results of a failing school system in about five to 10 years,” Cromartie said. “New Hanover County has got to do more.”

STAY CONNECTED: Keep up with the area’s latest news by signing up for the Daily Briefing email newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Graduation rates show racial gaps in New Hanover County schools