Minneapolis, MN – Despite Minnesota grappling with one of the nation’s most significant educational achievement gaps by ethnicity, a new report offers a beacon of hope: Latino high school graduation rates are on the rise, and the disparity with White students is narrowing.

The latest research from HACER, the Chicano-Latino Affairs Council, and the Minnesota Humanities Center reveals that while only 50.5% of Latino students graduated high school in four years in 2011, a stark 33 percentage points lower than their White peers (83.5%), there’s a powerful positive trend underway.

Looking back to 2003, only one-third (33.4%) of Latino students graduated high school within four years, and a staggering 32.2% dropped out. Fast forward to 2010, and the graduation rate for Latinos jumped to 50.5%, while the dropout rate plummeted to 13.5%. This represents a remarkable 17.1 percentage point increase in graduation rates and an 18.7 percentage point decrease in dropout rates for Latino students over seven years.

Crucially, the report highlights that the achievement gap between White and Latino students has also significantly narrowed. The graduation rate gap decreased from a daunting 45.5 percentage points in 2003 to 33.0 points in 2010. Similarly, the dropout rate gap shrank from 26.5 percentage points to 10.5 points over the same period.

These gains for Latino students are not at the expense of others. The report emphatically states, “improved educational attainment for Latino students and decreased gaps align with educational advancement for all students. This evidence counters misconceptions that narrowing gaps are due to decreased achievement in White students and that positive gains for Latino students (and other students of color) come at the expense of other students.” In fact, White student graduation rates also saw a modest increase from 78.9% to 83.5% during this time.

The study attributes this positive shift to specific strategies observed in six successful secondary schools across Minnesota, which include building strong relationships, fostering student motivation, providing career exposure, and creating welcoming environments that value cultural identities. These findings suggest that dedicated efforts and inclusive practices can make a tangible difference in closing achievement gaps and ensuring all students succeed.