New York State: 45% of Hispanic high school students and 47% of black students graduated on time in 2006, compared with 79% of white students

David M. Herszenhorn:

The numbers showed some of the same vast disparities — between poor cities and rich suburbs, and also between white students and their black and Hispanic counterparts — that have persisted for years, with rich children and white children more likely to graduate on time.

Statewide, 45 percent of Hispanic students and 47 percent of black students graduated on time in 2006, compared with 79 percent of white students. And while the on-time completion rate was 91 percent in the wealthiest school districts, it was only 45 percent in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Yonkers, the big cities other than New York.

The numbers also highlighted the enduring challenges for students with disabilities; only 37 percent statewide graduated on time, and only 48 percent did so after six years.

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