High school graduation rates in the U.S. are at an all-time high. At 84 percent, the national rate means that more than 4 out of 5 high school students earn a diploma in four years, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Despite the increased rates, there are still significant differences in graduation rates among different racial ethnicities and states. Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans and Alaska Natives graduate at lower rates that Asian and white students, NCES data show.
The average graduation rate for 2016 graduates who attended public schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia ranged from 68 to 94 percent, according to data provided in the U.S. News Best High Schools rankings. The 2018 rankings include data on more than 20,500 public high schools.
The map below shows the average graduation rate for each state. New Mexico has the lowest average graduation rate at 67.9 percent, while Nebraska has the highest at 93.7 percent. U.S. News collected graduation rates for the Best High School rankings from officials in each state. The rates correspond to the 2016 graduation cohort, which is made up of students who entered ninth grade in 2012-2013.
The number of schools evaluated in each state ranges from 34 in the District of Columbia to 2,126 in California. There are 11 states where no high schools graduated 100 percent of students. Texas has the highest number of schools with a 100 percent graduation rate.
Find more information on the top high schools in each state, and explore data on graduation rates, test scores for state-mandated exams and college placement exams, student-teacher ratios and more on school profile pages on usnews.com.
See the complete Best High Schools rankings.
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