Iowa’s high school graduation rate continues to show long-term progress, although the state experienced a slight decrease in 2017, according to figures released today by the Iowa Department of Education. State data show 91 percent of students in Iowa’s class of 2017 graduated within four years, down from 91.3 percent for the class of 2016. Since 2011, Iowa’s four-year graduation rate has climbed 2.7 percentage points overall, with significant long-term gains in nearly every student demographic subgroup, the department said in a release. The graduation rate for English language learners, which still had among the lowest graduation rates at 80.3 percent in 2017, had the largest increase since 2011 — up 10.3 percent. Iowa has set a 95 percent goal for the statewide graduation rate.