Nevada's graduation rate went down last year. Reno Public Radio's Michelle Bliss reports.
The graduation rate for Nevada's Class of 2014 dipped just slightly to 70 percent. That's less than 1 percentage point below the previous year, according to the Nevada Department of Education.
In Washoe County, the graduation rate held steady at 72 percent. Traci Davis is interim superintendent for the district.
"We know that we have subgroups that struggle. For instance, we know that we need to continue to work on our English Language Learners, our special education populations, and our American Indians.
Statewide, less than a third of English Language Learners and students with disabilities made it to graduation.
"Looking at the data," Davis says, "we have closed gaps, but we need to continue working on closing those gaps."
Looking ahead for the Class of 2015, officials expect the numbers to continue slipping. That's because Nevada will have more rigorous Common Core standards and a new system for proficiency tests.