Data: New Jersey’s high school graduation rate near top

New Jersey's high school graduation rate in the 2013-14 school year was higher than all but two states.

The Education Department released data Tuesday showing that 88.6 percent of the state's high school students graduated.

Iowa at 90.5 percent and Nebraska at 89.7 percent were the only two states above New Jersey, which was tied with Wisconsin.

New Jersey also had higher rates of black and Hispanic students graduating than the national average.

The Education Department says the national rate for the 2013-14 school year is the highest since it started using a new, uniform measure in 2010. Still, the numbers show nearly 1 in 5 students leaving high school without a diploma.

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