Maryland's graduation rate is now at a historic high, with students from nearly every background and minority group earning high school diplomas in higher numbers.
But one group, recent immigrants who are learning English, is falling behind.
After modest increases for much of the decade, Maryland's graduation rate of high school students earning diplomas on time rose to 86 percent in the 2013-2014 school year, according to data released Tuesday by the State Department of Education.
The data show progress on a number of fronts.
All of the minority groups tracked by state officials posted gains, with the graduation rate for African-Americans rising from 76 percent to 81 percent over the past four years. In addition, a greater percentage of special education students, who have had difficulty getting a diploma in the past, are graduating each June. And more students from low-income families are finishing in four years.
But educators say many students learning English as a second language are falling behind, unable to overcome language barriers, schooling that might have been interrupted and emotional trauma. Their graduation rate fell 3 percentage points to 54 percent.
State school board members asked Education Department staff for more details on what might be causing the decline in graduation rate among English learners and requested ideas for changes in regulations and services that might help immigrant students succeed.
The recent influx in students from Central America would not have had an immediate effect on the graduation rates because most of those students would have been placed in ninth grade this year or last as they entered local school systems.
Board member Luisa Montero-Diaz, who works for an organization providing services for immigrants, said many immigrant students express "a sense of frustration and inadequacy" as they start their school careers in Maryland.
Principal Ken Miller of Lansdowne High in Baltimore County said such students need more time to graduate.
"It is just a drastic shock, adapting to our culture and way of life and then trying to learn English. You get to know some of the students. Some of the events they had to go through to get here are unbelievable," he said.
Miller said some immigrant students at his school walked from one country to another to get here. Others spent years in refugee camps. Some enter ninth grade in Maryland older than the average student but without the credits or skills to be with their age group.
Still, he said, the determination these students have shown indicates that they can, and will, graduate in five or six years.
State officials have yet to release 2014 data on those who graduated after five or six years in high school, but a greater number of English learners have graduated in the past with more time. The five-year graduation rate was 67 percent statewide in 2013.
State Superintendent Lillian Lowery said school systems have become more adept at using test data to find and help students who need extra assistance.
"We can go in and target students more directly. Many of our districts have remedial and enrichment opportunities," she said.
Maryland's graduation rate was 5 percentage points above the national average in 2013, though at least a dozen states had similar or better rates. National statistics have not been released for 2014.
In the Baltimore region, every system saw an increase except Howard County, which declined by less than half a percentage point but still has a graduation rate above 93 percent. Carroll County is the only school system in the state to have 95 percent or more of its students earning a diploma.
In a statement, Howard County education officials said they have worked to improve graduation rates among black and Hispanic students, now at 87 percent.
"While we are pleased with the progress we are making to close the graduation gap, we are working strategically to ensure that every student who enters our classrooms has the experiences and supports needed to walk across the stage," the statement said.
The Howard and Carroll schools have a much lower percentage of students from low-income families than other systems in the region.
Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties are now graduating 88 percent of their students in four years. The graduation rate rose 2.2 percent in Anne Arundel and 1.3 percent in Baltimore County over the previous school year, according to the data.
Harford County gained one-third of a percentage point, essentially staying flat.
Baltimore City remains the school district with the lowest graduation rate in the state, but its progress over time has exceeded that of nearly every other district.
Since the state took greater control of city schools in 1996 — appointing a new school board and chief operating officer — Baltimore has gone from a 43 percent graduation rate to 70 percent. During that time the state's graduation standards have gotten tougher, and since a more unified system of tracking graduation rates took effect in 2010, the city has seen a rise of nearly 9 percentage points.
"They are moving in the right direction," Lowery said of Baltimore schools. "They have a track record to show that they are making a difference in the lives of the children. We are going to see those numbers continue to rise."
Baltimore County Superintendent Dallas Dance and Anne Arundel Superintendent George Arlotto said gains have come from focusing on individual students who were falling through the cracks and helping them catch up on credits through weekend, summer and online classes.
"What I am really excited about is that all our student groups are above 80 percent," Dance said.
Some high schools that have struggled over the years made large gains. Woodlawn High School in Baltimore County rose to an 83 percent graduation rate from 78 percent.
Guidance counselor Susan Smith of Northeast High in Anne Arundel said she believes an 8 percentage point increase in the graduation rate in the past year at that school came about with a concerted effort to provide struggling seniors with an adult mentor.
"They needed their own private cheerleading section," Smith said.
The school made Monday afternoons a time for extra help, provided bus transportation home, and teachers called parents to keep them up to date.
Other Anne Arundel schools also stood out for remarkable gains. Old Mill rose 6 percentage points. And the percentage of special education students getting a diploma on time rose 7 percentage points.
Dance said a program that blends digital instruction and teacher assistance is helping Baltimore County students who fall behind in the credits they need to graduate.
In addition, Baltimore County schools have instituted a computer system that tracks everything from test scores to grades to attendance for students in all grades. The system helps schools more quickly identify those who are not meeting expectations, "so we can intervene early so it doesn't become a hurdle to get back on track," said Russell Brown, the district's chief accountability officer.
He said the tracking system flags students who might need help, then guidance counselors and teachers find out what is holding the student back. "It focuses the work," Brown said.
Dance acknowledged that there's room for improvement, saying he is concerned that the graduation rate of English language learners in Baltimore County dropped from 59 percent to 56 percent. That is a trend seen across the state.
In his proposed budget for the next fiscal year, Dance said he has added 30 new teachers for students learning English.
Two Eastern Shore counties — Somerset and Dorchester — made the most significant gains in the state despite having high numbers of students from lower-income families. Dorchester County's graduation rate rose 10 percentage points in four years to 87.9 percent, while Somerset rose 8.5 percentage points to 86 percent this past school year.
Statewide, only Howard, Caroline, Washington and Frederick counties saw decreases; most were slight.
twitter.com/lizbowie