Photo by jbhaber

Only 59 percent of students attending public and public charter high schools in D.C. in the 2010-2011 school year graduated within four years, the lowest rate in the nation. The number was released earlier this week by the Department of Education, which for the first time has developed a standard metric by which graduation rates in every state can be equally measured and compared. (Of course, D.C. is a completely urban school system, so the comparison to states is a tough one to make.)

Nevada was only slightly above D.C., coming in at 62 percent. Maryland and Virginia fared quite well, coming in at 83 and 82 percent respectively, while Iowa and Vermont topped the list at 88 and 87 percent.

Prior to the adoption of the new metric, for example, D.C. reported a graduation rate of 73 percent for 2010, because it measured absolute number of graduates instead of tracking whether or not they finished high school in four years.

Earlier this month, the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent for Education reported that the 2011-2012 graduation rate ticked up two points to 61 percent. Public high school students graduated at a lower rate than their charter school counterparts (56 to 77 percent) though the former saw a three percent jump while the latter experienced a three percent decline. Banneker and Ellington, both public schools, lead the 2012 graduation rates, with 98 and 96 percent, respectively, followed by Washington Latin Public Charter School.

Multi-racial, white and Asian students were again most likely to graduate on time (between 79 and 91 percent of them did in 2012), while African American, Pacific Islander and Hispanic students showed the lowest graduation rates, along with English-learners. The female graduation rate stood above the male graduation rate 68-53.

UPDATE, 10:45 a.m.: As a commenter rightfully points out, comparing D.C. to the states is somewhat unfair—D.C. is an all-urban school system, after all. New York City, for one, recorded graduation rate this year of 60 percent, roughly the same as D.C.