This statistic shows the higher education graduation rate in the United States from the 2000/01 academic year to 2016/17. The graduation rate includes all those who completed their higher education certificate or degree within 150% of normal completion time. The graduation rate has remained relatively constant over time and most recently in 2017/18 the graduation rate stood at 50 percent.

The New York State calculation method was first adopted for the Cohort of 2001 (Class 2005). The cohort consists of al students who first entered 9th grade in a given school year (e.g., the cohort of 2006 entered 9th grade in 2006-2007 school year). Graduates are defined as those students earning either a local or regents diploma and exclude those earning either a special education (IEP) diploma for GED. In order to comply with FERPA regulations on public reporting of education outcomes, rows with a cohort of 20 or fewer students are suppressed. Due to small number of students identified as Native American or Multi-Racial these ethnicities are not reported on the Ethnicity tab, however these students are included in the counts on all other tabs.

In 2022, about 37.7 percent of the U.S. population who were aged 25 and above had graduated from college or another higher education institution, a slight decline from 37.9 the previous year. However, this is a significant increase from 1960, when only 7.7 percent of the U.S. population had graduated from college. Demographics Educational attainment varies by gender, location, race, and age throughout the United States. Asian-American and Pacific Islanders had the highest level of education, on average, while Massachusetts and the District of Colombia are areas home to the highest rates of residents with a bachelor’s degree or higher. However, education levels are correlated with wealth. While public education is free up until the 12th grade, the cost of university is out of reach for many Americans, making social mobility increasingly difficult. Earnings White Americans with a professional degree earned the most money on average, compared to other educational levels and races. However, regardless of educational attainment, males typically earned far more on average compared to females. Despite the decreasing wage gap over the years in the country, it remains an issue to this day. Not only is there a large wage gap between males and females, but there is also a large income gap linked to race as well.

This map shows high school graduations within the US by graduation rate. This is shown by county, state, and country from the 2022 County Health Rankings. The national average of students who graduate high school is 86%.The data comes from the County Health Rankings 2022 layer. The County Health Rankings, a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, measure the health of nearly all counties in the nation and rank them within states. "By ranking the health of nearly every county in the nation, County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CHR&R) illustrates how where we live affects how well and how long we live. CHR&R also shows what each of us can do to create healthier places to live, learn, work, and play – for everyone."Counties are ranked within their state on both health outcomes and health factors. Counties with a lower (better) health outcomes ranking than health factors ranking may see the health of their county decline in the future, as factors today can result in outcomes later. Conversely, counties with a lower (better) factors ranking than outcomes ranking may see the health of their county improve in the future.

In the 2019-20 school year, West Virginia had the highest graduation rate for Hispanic students in the United States, at 93 percent. Florida closely followed, with a graduation rate of 89.7 percent for Hispanic students.

This study includes the federal graduation rate for all NCAA member institutions who participated in Division I or Division II sports. It also describes the Graduation Success Rate (GSR) for all Division I institutions and the Academic Success Rate (ASR) of all Division II institutions. The rates included in this study are based on championship sport student-athletes who first began their full-time postsecondary education in academic years 1995-96 through 2008-09.Each cohort was tracked for 6 years for college completion. For example, the graduation status for the latest cohort (2008-09 cohort) was tracked through the spring of 2014. At their core, all three measures are based on a comparison of the number of students who entered a college or university in a given year and the number of those who graduated within six years of their initial enrollment, though each measure has a slightly different cohort definition. Federal graduation rates are based on the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System Graduation Rates (IPEDS-GRS) which is defined as a six-year proportion of those student-athletes who graduated versus those who entered an institution on institutional aid. Federal graduation rates are included for both an institution's student-athletes and its general student body. In addition to the student-athlete data in the graduation-rates data, the Division I Graduation Success Rate (GSR) accounts for student-athletes who transfer into an institution while discounting student-athletes who separate from the institution and would have been academically eligible to compete had they returned. The definition of the Division II Academic Success Rate (ASR) cohort is identical to that of the GSR with the exception that it also includes freshmen who did not receive athletics aid, but did participate in athletics.

This dataset shows the percentage of students who graduated from Massachusetts public schools with a regular high school diploma within 4 or 5 years. It is a long file that contains multiple rows for each school and district, with rows for different years and different student groups.

Note: Data is currently available at the school level only, as well as the state overall. For district-level graduation rates, please see the High School Graduation Rates dataset, or the High School Graduation Rates report on our DESE Profiles site.

Economically Disadvantaged was used 2015-2021. Low Income was used prior to 2015, and a different version of Low Income has been used since 2022. Please see the DESE Researcher's Guide for more information. 

For more data about student experiences and outcomes in high school and beyond, please see the main DART: Success After High School dataset and dashboard.

The U.S. Department of Education’s graduation rate, which is reported through the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), is a nationally recognized and commonly used metric in higher education. Graduation rate is calculated as the percentage of first‐time, full‐time, degree/certificate seeking students that complete a CCC program within 150% of the estimated time it takes to complete the program.

Metric scores are not reported for n-sizes under 10. Per OSSE's policy, secondary suppression is applied to all student groups when a complementary group has an n-size under 10 or is top/bottom suppressed to prevent the calculation of suppressed data.

Data Source: DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education

Why This Matters

Graduating from high school is a critical step in advancing along educational and professional paths. Many careers and almost all colleges require a high school diploma or GED.

Educational attainment is strongly linked with socioeconomic and health outcomes. Americans who graduate high school tend to have higher incomes than those who do not. High school graduates also tend to live longer, healthier, and happier lives.

Black, Hispanic, and Native American students in the U.S. have lower graduation rates, on average, than white students. Segregation and historical disinvestment in communities of color play a significant role in these disparities. Poverty and limited educational resources act as barriers to graduation.

The District Response

The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE)’s Reimagining High School Graduation Requirements initiative aims to identify and implement new high school graduation requirements that incorporate outcome measures and support innovative approaches to preparing young people for life after graduation.

The District of Columbia Public Schools offers a number of supports to both proactively aid students in graduating and assist those at risk of not graduating.

Since 2014, those who pass the GED receive a State High School Diploma instead of a GED credential. This more accurately represents the dedication, hard work, and demonstration of skill it takes for residents to successfully complete this alternative path to a high school diploma.

Graduation Outcomes - Cohorts of 2001 through 2006 (Classes of 2005 through 2010) ¶¶•The New York State calculation method was first adopted for the Cohort of 2001 (Class of 2005). The cohort consists of all students who first entered 9th grade in a given school year (e.g., the Cohort of 2006 entered 9th grade in the 2006-2007 school year). Graduates are defined as those students earning either a Local or Regents diploma and exclude those earning either a special education (IEP) diploma or GED. For the most recent cohort, graduation rates as of both June and August (including summer graduates) are reported. ¶¶•Records with cohorts of 20 students or less are suppressed. August outcomes are only reported for the most recent cohort. ¶¶•August outcomes include all June and August graduates. In school-level reporting, students who were in a school for less than 5 months are not included in the school’s cohort, but are included in citywide totals. ¶¶•School level results are not presented for District 79 schools, but their outcomes are included in citywide totals. ¶¶•Schools are listed by their current DBN's.

Excel version of report to City Council required per LL 147

The New York State calculation method consists of all students who first entered 9th grade in a given school year (e.g., the Cohort of 2006 entered 9th grade in the 2006-2007 school. In order to comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) regulations on public reporting of education outcomes, rows with fewer than 5 students are suppressed, and replaced with an "s" and for "Transfer School" tab rows with cohorts of 10 or fewer students are suppressed. As of January 1, 2014, the GED test is no longer offered in New York State. The GED has been replaced by the TASC (Test Assessing Secondary Completion) exam which will continue to lead students to a High School Equivalency (HSE) Diploma.

The number of students graduating on time (after four years of high school), as a percentage of their cohort.

Data is available from: https://www.k12.wa.us/data-reporting/data-portal?combine=report%20card%20graduation.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - High School Graduates, No College, 20 to 24 years (HSGS2024) from Jan 2000 to Aug 2025 about 20 to 24 years, secondary schooling, secondary, tertiary schooling, education, unemployment, rate, and USA.

Adjusted 4-year cohort graduation rate by County provided by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

In 2022, around 91.8 percent of women had graduated high school or had obtained a higher educational degree in the United States. This is an increase from 1960, when 42.5 percent of women in the U.S. had graduated from high school or above.

This operations dashboard shows historic and current data related to this performance measure.

Graph and download economic data for High School Graduate or Higher for Ohio (GCT1501OH) from 2006 to 2024 about secondary schooling, secondary, educational attainment, 25 years +, OH, education, and USA.

In 2023, the University of Pennsylvania had the highest four-year graduation rate of all Ivy League schools, at ** percent. Cornell University followed closely behind, with an ** percent four-year graduation rate.

Graph and download economic data for Employment Level - High School Graduates, No College, 25 Yrs. & over (LNU02027660) from Jan 1992 to Aug 2025 about secondary schooling, secondary, 25 years +, tertiary schooling, education, household survey, employment, and USA.