More than a third of California's African American public high school students dropped out before graduation day, a startling number and one that's on the rise

The 37% African American dropout rate, up three percentage points from 2008, was far above that of any other ethnic subgroup. Hispanic students had the second highest rate at 27%. Locally, San Francisco cautiously celebrated a 9% overall dropout rate, a stark contrast to Oakland's 40%, numbers still under review for accuracy. The statewide statistics highlight a pervasive achievement gap in test scores and graduation rates that persists despite focused efforts to boost the academic performance of black, Hispanic and low-income students, state education officials said. Overall, 22% of state students dropped out of high school, according to the 2009 data, up from 19% in 2008.