Rachel Silberstein is reporting for the Times Union graduation rates rose in the Capital Region and throughout New York in 2019, according to data released by the state Education Department, January 16. Statewide, 83.4 percent of students who entered high school in 2015 graduated in 2019, 0.8 percentage points above the rate reported in 2018. In Columbia County, the cumulative completion rate was 86 percent; in Greene County, 84 percent, both above the state rate for all students. The schools reporting the highest percentage of four-year graduates in the two counties were Chatham High School (91 percent) and Catskill High School (90 percent). Although there was general improvement measured statewide, significant gaps in achievement based racial and socioeconomic factors still exist, said state Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa. New York schools are going in the right direction, she said in a statement, "but we can never truly close achievement gaps until we address opportunity gaps." Some of the gains seen in the past year can be attributed to New York's increased reliance on local diplomas, an alternative to passing the Regents exams for students from underserved groups, according to Ian Rosenblum, executive director of the education advocacy group, Education Trust–New York. Read the full story in the Times Union.