Virginia Beach
Inequities in Graduation Rates
Black male students in Virginia Beach graduated at higher rates in 2005/6 than the national average for their group, while White male students graduated at lower rates than their peer group. The racial achievement gap was, therefore, much narrower than average.
The Benchmark for graduation rates of Black male students for school districts enrolling more than 10,000 Black male students is 82% (Fort Bend, Texas).
|
Male Students |
Graduation Rate 2005/6 (est.) |
Graduation Rate 2004/5 |
||||||
|
Black |
Black |
White |
Gap |
Black |
White |
Black Change |
White Change |
|
|
USA |
4.3mil. |
47% |
75% |
28% |
47% |
74% |
0% |
1% |
|
Virginia |
164,243 |
54% |
75% |
21% |
53% |
74% |
1% |
1% |
|
Virginia Beach |
10,646 |
52% |
60% |
8% |
51% |
66% |
1% |
-5% |
Discipline, Special Education, and Advanced Placement Inequities
The number of out of school suspensions given to Black male students in the Virginia Beach public schools was equivalent to fifteen percent of Virginia Beach’s Black, non-Hispanic male student population and the percentage of out-of-school suspensions given to White male students in Virginia Beach was equivalent to six percent, in the 2004/5 school year, as reported to the Office of Civil Rights of the U. S. Department of Education.
Black, non-Hispanic male students were classified as Gifted/Talented one-quarter as often as White, non-Hispanic male students in the Virginia Beach public schools and classified as Mentally Retarded at a higher rate than their White classmates. If Black male students had been admitted to Gifted/Talented programs at a rate comparable to that of White male students, at least an additional 1,000 students would have been able to take advantage of those program resources.
Proportionate to enrollment, over four times as many White male students as male Black students in the Virginia Beach public schools in 2004/5 were allowed to participate in Mathematics and Science Advanced Placement courses.