High Life A WEEKLY FORUM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS : California Is Below Average in School Graduation Rate

Minnesota leads the nation and Florida brings up the rear. So, are we talking about fruit production or spring break retreats? No, we’re talking graduation rates for high school students in 1988, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s seventh annual survey.

In Minnesota, 90.9% of the students graduated, compared to Florida’s 58%. The national average was 71.1%, and California came in at 65.9%.

States with graduation rates at 80% or better, in addition to Minnesota, were Connecticut, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Those states below 70%, including California and Florida, were Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and the District of Columbia.

Corona del Mar High School journalism teacher Linda Mook was presented the Journalism Education Assn.’s Medal of Merit for her contributions to the group’s activities and for her scholastic journalism activities.

“In the first place, God made idiots. That was for practice. Then he made school boards.”

--Mark Twain