Jeff Fuentes Gleghorn
Young people in Michigan are more likely to graduate from high school, get their GED, and graduate from college than ever before. In 2000, only 83 percent of people over the age of 25 had completed high school or their GED. 20 years later, that number has risen to 91 percent. This year is the first time that Michigan has had over 90 percent of its residents graduate from high school. The Great Lakes State is doing slightly better than the United States, which has an overall 88 percent graduation rate, up from 80 percent in 2000.
Kent County is on par with the Michigan average in high school graduation, with nearly 91 percent of residents having completed high school or their GED, but is ahead in college education, with nearly 36 percent of residents having a college degree compared to 29 percent of Michiganders and 32 percent of U.S. residents generally.
