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BOSTON (WBZ-AM) -- A new report shows nearly one in five high school students are at least two years behind academically and at risk of dropping out.
The report, commissioned by Boston Public Schools, shows over 3,300 high school students were considered off-track to graduate during the 2015-2016 school year.
Chris Librizzi, a partner at EY Parthenon, which conducted the study, laid out the results to WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz.
"A vast majority of students who are falling off-track are in open-enrollment high schools," Librizzi said. "For those students who are falling off-track at any point, only 25 percent are graduating in four years--only 36 percent within six years."
The report also found that nearly a quarter of black and Latino students are falling behind.
Librizzi did add, though, that the latest figure is a slight improvement from a similar report 10 years ago.
A majority of the students were enrolled in schools like Madison Park, Brighton High, and the Burke School.
School Superintendent Tommy Chang said the report highlights a serious need for improvement in the system.
"We need to make sure they get back on track as quickly as possible," he said. "We have to look at some equity issues around assignments and enrollment."
Chang said the city needs to double down on efforts to redesign high schools, and let students choose their own schools instead of being assigned one.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz reports