About half of Detroit’s high school graduates end up enrolling in college, according to a report, and fewer students are getting their high school diploma.
Amid the pandemic, the education gap is widening between students of color and white students has continued to grow.
The Detroit Regional Chamber’s annual State of Education Report says that only 72% of Detroit’s students are graduating from high school, compared to 80% in the 11-county southeast Detroit region.
It also found that only 8% of Detroit’s students are academically ready for college.
Sandy Baruah is the President and CEO of the Chamber.
"This unfortunately is a bad news, bad math report, and it should be an alarm bell for policy makers and business leaders across the state," he said.
In the 11-county Detroit region, nearly half of students who went to college did not earn their degree within six years.
The report uses regional, state, and national data through 2020. The most recent data was not yet available.
"Just along every metric, the City of Detroit students have a much greater challenge," Baruah said.
The Detroit Regional Chamber hopes that 60% of Metro Detroit residents will have a degree or credential by 2030.
