(Providence, RI) -- When it comes to high school graduation rates Rhode Island is lagging behind other New England states. The Kids Count Factbook reports that 50% of the state's public high school graduates in 2009 earned a diploma within six-years. The reports say the numbers are even more distressing among low-income families where the rate is 33%. The executive director of the Rhode Island Association of School Committees Tim Duffy says students and schools need to be accountable or a high school diploma will lack credibility.