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  For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Raven Hill | 410-767-0486 | raven.hill@maryland.gov
State Graduation Rate Reaches Seven-Year High
Approximately 88% of Maryland students graduated on time in 2024.
BALTIMORE (February 25, 2025) – Today, the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) announced the 2024 four-year cohort high school graduation rate achieved its highest level since 2017 at 87.6%.
The four-year cohort graduation rate was 1.8 percentage points higher for the 2023-2024 school year compared to the prior year, with the largest increases among Hispanic students and multilingual learners. In addition, the four-year cohort dropout rate was lower than the previous year.
“This is great news for Maryland,” said Dr. Carey M. Wright, State Superintendent of Schools. “When we set high standards, deliver strong instruction, and invest in proven supports, our students show that they will exceed expectations. We will continue working to ensure that every Maryland student achieves their highest academic potential.”
“The State Board continues to be encouraged by steady progress in outcomes for Maryland students,” said Dr. Joshua Michael, State Board of Education President. “With investments through the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future deepening supports and raising standards for students, we expect graduation rates to continue to improve in forthcoming years.”
There were 67,349 students in the class of 2024; 58,965 obtained a high school diploma within four years. For most student groups, the 2024 four-year cohort graduation rates remained stable when compared to the 2023 cohort rate.
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 67,868 students who started ninth grade in the 2019-2020 school year, 87.4% graduated by the 2023-2024 school year, a decrease from 88.2% the prior year.
Maryland’s cohort graduation rates follow a cohort of students from their freshman year through their senior year, as required by federal reporting standards. Since the high of 87.7% in 2017, rates have ranged from 85.8% (2023) to 87.2% (2021).
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 Maryland Report Card website.
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