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GREENSBORO — Guilford County Schools, which has worked hard for years to improve the academic fortunes of its minority students, ranked in the top 10 of large school districts nationally for graduating black males, according to a new report.

The Schott Foundation, a Massachusetts education think tank, released a report last week examining the education of black males. The report highlights the fact that, nationally, black males continue to fall far behind their white counterparts when it comes to finishing high school.

Although Guilford County ranked in the top 10 nationally, the foundation found that just 48 percent of black males graduated during the year surveyed, the 2007-08 school year.

The school district, however, reported a 65.6 percent graduation rate for black males in 2008.

Michael Holzman, a Schott research consultant who wrote the report, said the differences in rates sometimes occur because the report does not factor in how many students come into or leave a school district.

Holzman said school districts must do more to ensure black males finish high school.

“We know that most black males who don’t get a high school education will go to jail,” Holzman said. “And that’s devastating.”

The report makes several recommendations, including improving school facilities, emphasizing early childhood education and increasing the amount of time students interact with school. He said it’s also important to have quality teachers who know how to teach a variety of students.

Last year, the district’s graduation rate was just over 80 percent, the highest in four years and among the highest in the state. The graduation rate for black males was 68.9.

Richard Tuck is the school district’s dropout prevention supervisor, and he said another important tool in keeping black males — and all students — in school is the district’s school choice effort.

At the high school level, the district offers several programs for students to choose from. They can select a program that lets them leave their regular high school for part of the day to attend special classes or attend early and middle colleges where they can earn college credit while finishing high school.

Few schools are seeing success when it comes to black male graduation like The Middle College at N.C. A&T. The all-male high school on the college campus is home to 110 students, 98 percent of whom are black. It posted a graduation rate last year of 96 percent. Only two students left the school. Of the 22 students who graduated, 21 went on to college and one joined the Air Force, Principal Eric Hines said.

Demetrius Dick, 16, is on track to be the school’s valedictorian this year.

He’s spent his entire high school career at the middle college and, though it took some adjusting at first, he said it was the best decision he and his family ever made.

“The biggest thing to me is the teacher support,” Demetrius said, “Every teacher here wants to help you do well.”

Demetrius has a long list of colleges he’s interested in. Clemson University is at the top for now.

Getting the boys to connect with college is one of the focuses for the staff at the middle college, Hines said. Former students’ college acceptance letters hang in the halls, and teachers dress up their rooms with materials from their alma maters.

“We believe if we keep college before kids visually and we talk about college, then it becomes more of a reality for them,” Hines said. “We’re a part of the university, their functions. The chancellor has spoken to our young men. They get a flavor of what college is like.”

Contact J. Brian Ewing at 373-7351 or brian.ewing@news-record.com