FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/p>\n
MEDIA CONTACT: Graduation rates increased for African American students, youth from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and students with disabilities.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n BALTIMORE (January 27, 2026)<\/b> \u2013 Today, the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) released the 2025 statewide cohort high school graduation rate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The 2025 four-year cohort graduation rate was 86.4 percent, maintaining the state\u2019s overall high position, although slightly lower than the 87.6 percent rate in 2024. Over the past year, rates increased for African American students, individuals from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and those with disabilities. The largest graduation rate decline was among multilingual learners.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>For all of us who work in education, the ultimate mark of student success is when they walk across the stage on graduation day. <\/span>We are encouraged by the progress we see among African American students, students with disabilities, and those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds<\/span>,\u201d <\/span>said <\/span>Dr. Carey M. Wright, State Superintendent of Schools<\/b>. <\/span>\u201c<\/span>These gains reflect the hard work of educators, families, and communities across Maryland to give every student the support they need to succeed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n There were 72,702 students statewide in the 2025 cohort; 62,842 received their diploma within four years. The graduation rate for African American students rose to 85.8 percent in 2025 from 84.4 percent in 2024. For students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, the figure increased to 83 percent, up from 81.6 percent the previous year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhile Maryland\u2019s graduation outcomes remain strong overall, the State Board is deeply concerned about declines among multilingual learners and Hispanic students,\u201d said <\/span>Dr. Joshua Michael, State Board of Education President<\/b>. \u201cHeightened political tensions and fear around immigration enforcement erode students\u2019 sense of safety and belonging, disrupting learning and pathways to graduation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The Maryland State Department of Education also released the five-year cohort graduation rate, which is the percentage of students who graduate within five years. Out of the 67,376 students who started ninth grade in the 2020-2021 school year, 89.2 percent graduated by the 2024-2025 school year, an increase from 87.4 percent the prior year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Maryland\u2019s graduation rates follow a cohort of students from their freshman year through their senior year, as required by federal reporting standards. Since the 2020-2021 school year, four-year cohort rates have ranged from 85.8 percent (2023) to 87.6 percent (2024).<\/span><\/p>\n Statewide and local data on four-year and five-year cohort graduation rates, as well as the four-year cohort dropout rate, can be found on the <\/span>Maryland Report Card website<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n ###<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Raven Hill, 410-767-0486
raven.hill@maryland.gov<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nMSDE Releases High Schools Graduation Rates for the 2024-25 School Year<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nMEDIA CONTACT:Raven Hill, 410-767-0486raven.hill@maryland.gov<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n