MANCHESTER — Minority students in the city graduate at significantly lower rates than white students, according to state data, but the difference is not nearly as great as a civil rights group claimed in a heated school committee hearing earlier this week.

Hispanic students in Manchester public schools graduated at a rate of 56 percent in 2011, while black students graduated at a rate of 66 percent, according to data provided by the state Department of Education. White students in Manchester graduated at a rate of 78 percent.

The minority graduation rates in Manchester are considerably lower, particularly for Hispanics, than the statewide average of 73 percent for Hispanic and black students.

The state data was collected and provided to the federal Department of Education as part of a national stimulus-funded program to more accurately measure graduation rates.

While the rate that Hispanic students graduate from high school in Manchester is lower than both state and national averages, it is not nearly as low as the number the state advisory committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights provided in a presentation Monday to the Board of School Committee.

The group said 73 percent of Hispanic students do not graduate in Manchester, citing data from an education advocacy website, BoostUp.org.

The low graduation rates claimed by members of the civil rights group were disputed by Mayor Ted Gatsas during its presentation, and he ultimately asked the group to leave.

The graduation rates for all students in New Hampshire paint a different picture than the low drop-out rate, around 1 percent, touted by the governor and state officials.

Under the federal guidelines for measuring graduation rates, states track a set group of students over the four years of high school — a cohort — and determine whether or not they graduate. The drop-out rate measures how many students graduate in one year and can be bolstered by students who earn non-standard diplomas and GEDs.

New Hampshire has high graduation rates compared to other states.

State numbers also conflict with another statistic offered by the civil rights group — that students of color make up almost 40 percent of the student population of Manchester. All together, Hispanic, black, Asian and mixed-race students made up 32 percent of the district's students in 2012, according to the state education department's district profile.

The civil rights advisory committee, which makes recommendations to Congress and the President, said its findings were the result of a two-year process involving hearings, interviews and gathering and studying information.

In response to the state data, Rogers Johnson, a member of the civil rights committee, reiterated his group's message that the district is doing a disservice to minority students in Manchester.

“The (state) numbers seen here may not be that different than other states, but we're supposed to be different here in New Hampshire,” Johnson said. “Mainly because we're highly educated. By maintaining that status, we're able to attract businesses — right to the point where we're under-serving 50 percent of a population.”

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Ted Siefer may be reached at tsiefer@unionleader.com.