Normally I'd never quote the neo-con Manhattan Institute, but since the Bush Education Department no longer keeps these statistics,
here's their report:
The state with the highest graduation rate in the nation in 2002 was New Jersey (89%), followed by Iowa, Wisconsin, and North Dakota (each at 85%). The state with the lowest graduation rate in the nation was
South Carolina (53%), followed by Georgia (56%), Tennessee (57%), and Alabama (58%).
There is a wide disparity in the graduation rates of white and minority students. In the class of 2002, about 78% of white students graduated from high school with a regular diploma, compared to 56% of African-American students and 52% of Hispanic students.
There is also a large difference among racial and ethnic groups in the percentage of students who leave high school eligible for college admission. About 40% of white students, 23% of African-American students, and 20% of Hispanic students who started public high school graduated college-ready in 2002.
Clearly, No Child Left Behind is working wonders.