Introduction
High school graduation rates in the United States vary significantly from state to state. The national average for high school graduation rate stands at around 84%, but there are states with higher or lower figures than this. There are numerous factors that contribute to these varying rates, including economic disparities, access to quality education and resources, poverty levels, and other socioeconomic factors. Moreover, even within states, different districts and schools have varying graduation rates which can be attributed to a number of factors such as the availability of resources and support from teachers and parents. Rural schools generally have lower educational attainment levels compared to urban schools due to fewer resources available and racial or ethnic segregation in certain areas. Likewise, the quality of teachers has an effect on student performance; areas with low salaries for teaching professionals tend to have lower educational attainment rates than those with higher salaries for educators. Many students also face additional challenges due to language barriers, lack of transportation, or inability to pay tuition costs. All these factors contribute to variations in high school graduation rates across the United States.
| # | State | High School Graduation Rate | No High School Diploma Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama | 91.7% | 13.1% |
| 2 | Iowa | 91.6% | 7.5% |
| 3 | West Virginia | 91.3% | 12.4% |
| 4 | Kentucky | 90.6% | 12.8% |
| 5 | New Jersey | 90.6% | 9.8% |
| 6 | Tennessee | 90.5% | 11.8% |
| 7 | Wisconsin | 90.1% | 7.4% |
| 8 | Texas | 90% | 15.6% |
| 9 | Missouri | 89.7% | 9.4% |
| 10 | Delaware | 89% | 9.4% |
| 11 | Connecticut | 88.5% | 9.1% |
| 12 | Nebraska | 88.4% | 8.4% |
| 13 | New Hampshire | 88.4% | 6.7% |
| 14 | North Dakota | 88.3% | 6.9% |
| 15 | Massachusetts | 88% | 8.9% |
| 16 | Arkansas | 87.6% | 12.8% |
| 17 | Virginia | 87.5% | 9.7% |
| 18 | Maine | 87.4% | 6.8% |
| 19 | Utah | 87.4% | 7% |
| 20 | Florida | 87.2% | 11.5% |
| 21 | Indiana | 87.2% | 10.7% |
| 22 | Kansas | 87.2% | 8.7% |
| 23 | Maryland | 86.9% | 9.5% |
| 24 | Montana | 86.6% | 6% |
| 25 | North Carolina | 86.5% | 11.5% |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | 86.5% | 9% |
| 27 | Illinois | 86.2% | 10.3% |
| 28 | Hawaii | 85.2% | 7.6% |
| 29 | Mississippi | 85% | 14.7% |
| 30 | Oklahoma | 84.9% | 11.5% |
| 31 | California | 84.5% | 16.1% |
| 32 | Vermont | 84.5% | 6.5% |
| 33 | Nevada | 84.1% | 13% |
| 34 | South Dakota | 84.1% | 7.8% |
| 35 | Rhode Island | 83.9% | 10.8% |
| 36 | Minnesota | 83.7% | 6.7% |
| 37 | New York | 82.8% | 12.8% |
| 38 | Wyoming | 82.1% | 6.4% |
| 39 | Georgia | 82% | 12.2% |
| 40 | Ohio | 82% | 9.2% |
| 41 | Michigan | 81.4% | 8.7% |
| 42 | Colorado | 81.1% | 7.9% |
| 43 | South Carolina | 81.1% | 11.7% |
| 44 | Washington | 81.1% | 8.3% |
| 45 | Idaho | 80.8% | 8.7% |
| 46 | Alaska | 80.4% | 6.9% |
| 47 | Louisiana | 80.1% | 14.2% |
| 48 | Oregon | 80% | 8.8% |
| 49 | Arizona | 77.8% | 12.1% |
| 50 | New Mexico | 75.1% | 13.5% |
| 51 | District of Columbia | 68.9% | 8.1% |
High School Graduation Rate by State
Alabama
High School Graduation Rate
91.7%
Ranked in the US
#1
Ranked in the US
#46
Alaska
High School Graduation Rate
80.4%
Ranked in the US
#46
Ranked in the US
#7
Arizona
High School Graduation Rate
77.8%
Ranked in the US
#49
Ranked in the US
#39
Arkansas
High School Graduation Rate
87.6%
Ranked in the US
#16
Ranked in the US
#42
California
High School Graduation Rate
84.5%
Ranked in the US
#31
Ranked in the US
#51
Colorado
High School Graduation Rate
81.1%
Ranked in the US
#42
Ranked in the US
#14
Connecticut
High School Graduation Rate
88.5%
Ranked in the US
#11
Ranked in the US
#24
Delaware
High School Graduation Rate
89%
Ranked in the US
#10
Ranked in the US
#26
District of Columbia
High School Graduation Rate
68.9%
Ranked in the US
#51
Ranked in the US
#15
Florida
High School Graduation Rate
87.2%
Ranked in the US
#20
Ranked in the US
#34
Georgia
High School Graduation Rate
82%
Ranked in the US
#39
Ranked in the US
#40
Hawaii
High School Graduation Rate
85.2%
Ranked in the US
#28
Ranked in the US
#12
Idaho
High School Graduation Rate
80.8%
Ranked in the US
#45
Ranked in the US
#18
Illinois
High School Graduation Rate
86.2%
Ranked in the US
#27
Ranked in the US
#31
Indiana
High School Graduation Rate
87.2%
Ranked in the US
#21
Ranked in the US
#32
Iowa
High School Graduation Rate
91.6%
Ranked in the US
#2
Ranked in the US
#11
Kansas
High School Graduation Rate
87.2%
Ranked in the US
#22
Ranked in the US
#19
Kentucky
High School Graduation Rate
90.6%
Ranked in the US
#4
Ranked in the US
#43
Louisiana
High School Graduation Rate
80.1%
Ranked in the US
#47
Ranked in the US
#48
Maine
High School Graduation Rate
87.4%
Ranked in the US
#18
Ranked in the US
#6
Maryland
High School Graduation Rate
86.9%
Ranked in the US
#23
Ranked in the US
#28
Massachusetts
High School Graduation Rate
88%
Ranked in the US
#15
Ranked in the US
#22
Michigan
High School Graduation Rate
81.4%
Ranked in the US
#41
Ranked in the US
#20
Minnesota
High School Graduation Rate
83.7%
Ranked in the US
#36
Ranked in the US
#4
Mississippi
High School Graduation Rate
85%
Ranked in the US
#29
Ranked in the US
#49
Missouri
High School Graduation Rate
89.7%
Ranked in the US
#9
Ranked in the US
#27
Montana
High School Graduation Rate
86.6%
Ranked in the US
#24
Ranked in the US
#1
Nebraska
High School Graduation Rate
88.4%
Ranked in the US
#12
Ranked in the US
#17
Nevada
High School Graduation Rate
84.1%
Ranked in the US
#33
Ranked in the US
#45
New Hampshire
High School Graduation Rate
88.4%
Ranked in the US
#13
Ranked in the US
#5
New Jersey
High School Graduation Rate
90.6%
Ranked in the US
#5
Ranked in the US
#30
New Mexico
High School Graduation Rate
75.1%
Ranked in the US
#50
Ranked in the US
#47
New York
High School Graduation Rate
82.8%
Ranked in the US
#37
Ranked in the US
#44
North Carolina
High School Graduation Rate
86.5%
Ranked in the US
#25
Ranked in the US
#35
North Dakota
High School Graduation Rate
88.3%
Ranked in the US
#14
Ranked in the US
#8
Ohio
High School Graduation Rate
82%
Ranked in the US
#40
Ranked in the US
#25
Oklahoma
High School Graduation Rate
84.9%
Ranked in the US
#30
Ranked in the US
#36
Oregon
High School Graduation Rate
80%
Ranked in the US
#48
Ranked in the US
#21
Pennsylvania
High School Graduation Rate
86.5%
Ranked in the US
#26
Ranked in the US
#23
Rhode Island
High School Graduation Rate
83.9%
Ranked in the US
#35
Ranked in the US
#33
South Carolina
High School Graduation Rate
81.1%
Ranked in the US
#43
Ranked in the US
#37
South Dakota
High School Graduation Rate
84.1%
Ranked in the US
#34
Ranked in the US
#13
Tennessee
High School Graduation Rate
90.5%
Ranked in the US
#6
Ranked in the US
#38
Texas
High School Graduation Rate
90%
Ranked in the US
#8
Ranked in the US
#50
Utah
High School Graduation Rate
87.4%
Ranked in the US
#19
Ranked in the US
#9
Vermont
High School Graduation Rate
84.5%
Ranked in the US
#32
Ranked in the US
#3
Virginia
High School Graduation Rate
87.5%
Ranked in the US
#17
Ranked in the US
#29
Washington
High School Graduation Rate
81.1%
Ranked in the US
#44
Ranked in the US
#16
West Virginia
High School Graduation Rate
91.3%
Ranked in the US
#3
Ranked in the US
#41
Wisconsin
High School Graduation Rate
90.1%
Ranked in the US
#7
Ranked in the US
#10
Wyoming
High School Graduation Rate
82.1%
Ranked in the US
#38
Ranked in the US
#2