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U.S. Education Data

U.S. High School Graduation Rate by State 2026: Statistics & Rankings

State rankings use the latest complete NCES table for public high school graduation rates. The 2026 label is a publication label; the rate values come from school year 2022-23.

The measure is the averaged freshman graduation rate (AFGR), reported as a percent of students estimated to receive a regular diploma within four years. It is not a direct ACGR table.

Data type: AFGR Coverage: 50 states + District of Columbia Latest source year: 2022-23 Unit: percent Chart type: ranking bar + state grid

Graduation Rate Statistics

Headline values are visible in HTML and do not depend on chart scripts.

U.S. AFGR
87.4%
National rate, school year 2022-23.
Highest jurisdiction
Wisconsin
95.8% AFGR.
Lowest jurisdiction
New Mexico
71.0% AFGR.
Median jurisdiction
86.6%
North Carolina sits at the median of 51 jurisdictions.
Jurisdiction average
85.9%
Simple average across 50 states and DC.
Top-to-bottom spread
24.8 pts
Wisconsin minus New Mexico.

State Graduation Rate Map Grid

A state grid is used as the map fallback. Color bins are based on the 51 reported AFGR values.

AL84.6% AK84.3% AZ88.1% AR85.2% CA89.7% CO86.7% CT88.7% DE85.8% DC72.8% FL87.0% GA82.2% HI80.7% ID87.0% IL87.7% IN87.8% IA90.8% KS92.6% KY88.6% LA76.9% ME90.3% MD85.7% MA89.7% MI85.0% MN92.1% MS81.9% MO89.4% MT84.6% NE92.2% NV83.4% NH84.5% NJ91.1% NM71.0% NY85.1% NC86.6% ND84.8% OH90.7% OK88.3% OR87.1% PA90.8% RI84.6% SC82.1% SD80.8% TN81.0% TX88.7% UT88.8% VT78.9% VA91.2% WA81.7% WV84.0% WI95.8% WY83.0%
71.0-82.2% 82.3-85.0% 85.1-87.7% 87.8-89.7% 89.8-95.8%

The map grid shows all 51 jurisdictions. Hover titles include state, AFGR, U.S. difference, and Census region.

Map analysis
  • Wisconsin is the only jurisdiction in the 95.0% and above band.
  • New Mexico, District of Columbia, Louisiana, and Vermont fall below 80.0%.
  • The densest band is 85.0-89.9%, with 21 jurisdictions.
  • Midwest states account for 6 of the top 10 ranked jurisdictions.

Graduation Rate Ranking: Top 20 Visual Summary

The chart displays the highest 20 jurisdictions. The full 51-row ranking table follows.

Highest: Wisconsin, 95.8% 20th: Oklahoma, 88.3% U.S. rate: 87.4%

Rates are rounded to one decimal place in the NCES Digest source table.

Chart analysis
  • Wisconsin leads the visual ranking at 95.8%.
  • Kansas, Nebraska, and Minnesota each report rates above 92.0%.
  • The top 20 threshold is 88.3%, represented by Oklahoma.
  • Every state in the top 20 is above the U.S. AFGR of 87.4%.

Full State Graduation Rate Ranking

The primary table contains all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It remains readable without JavaScript.

Rank State Code Region AFGR U.S. diff. Source year Source
1 Wisconsin WI Midwest 95.8% +8.4 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
2 Kansas KS Midwest 92.6% +5.2 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
3 Nebraska NE Midwest 92.2% +4.8 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
4 Minnesota MN Midwest 92.1% +4.7 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
5 Virginia VA South 91.2% +3.8 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
6 New Jersey NJ Northeast 91.1% +3.7 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
7 Iowa IA Midwest 90.8% +3.4 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
8 Pennsylvania PA Northeast 90.8% +3.4 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
9 Ohio OH Midwest 90.7% +3.3 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
10 Maine ME Northeast 90.3% +2.9 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
11 California CA West 89.7% +2.3 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
12 Massachusetts MA Northeast 89.7% +2.3 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
13 Missouri MO Midwest 89.4% +2.0 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
14 Utah UT West 88.8% +1.4 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
15 Connecticut CT Northeast 88.7% +1.3 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
16 Texas TX South 88.7% +1.3 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
17 Kentucky KY South 88.6% +1.2 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
18 Oklahoma OK South 88.3% +0.9 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
19 Arizona AZ West 88.1% +0.7 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
20 Indiana IN Midwest 87.8% +0.4 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
21 Illinois IL Midwest 87.7% +0.3 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
22 Oregon OR West 87.1% -0.3 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
23 Florida FL South 87.0% -0.4 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
24 Idaho ID West 87.0% -0.4 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
25 Colorado CO West 86.7% -0.7 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
26 North Carolina NC South 86.6% -0.8 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
27 Delaware DE South 85.8% -1.6 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
28 Maryland MD South 85.7% -1.7 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
29 Arkansas AR South 85.2% -2.2 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
30 New York NY Northeast 85.1% -2.3 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
31 Michigan MI Midwest 85.0% -2.4 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
32 North Dakota ND Midwest 84.8% -2.6 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
33 Alabama AL South 84.6% -2.8 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
34 Montana MT West 84.6% -2.8 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
35 Rhode Island RI Northeast 84.6% -2.8 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
36 New Hampshire NH Northeast 84.5% -2.9 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
37 Alaska AK West 84.3% -3.1 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
38 West Virginia WV South 84.0% -3.4 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
39 Nevada NV West 83.4% -4.0 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
40 Wyoming WY West 83.0% -4.4 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
41 Georgia GA South 82.2% -5.2 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
42 South Carolina SC South 82.1% -5.3 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
43 Mississippi MS South 81.9% -5.5 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
44 Washington WA West 81.7% -5.7 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
45 Tennessee TN South 81.0% -6.4 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
46 South Dakota SD Midwest 80.8% -6.6 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
47 Hawaii HI West 80.7% -6.7 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
48 Vermont VT Northeast 78.9% -8.5 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
49 Louisiana LA South 76.9% -10.5 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
50 District of Columbia DC South 72.8% -14.6 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
51 New Mexico NM West 71.0% -16.4 pts 2022-23 NCES CCD
Table analysis
  • The full ranking covers 51 jurisdictions.
  • The top value is 95.8% in Wisconsin; the lowest is 71.0% in New Mexico.
  • The national AFGR is 87.4%; 24 jurisdictions are above that rate.
  • The median jurisdiction value is 86.6%.
  • The simple jurisdiction average is 85.9%, lower than the national AFGR because the national rate is not a simple state average.
  • The table uses school year 2022-23 for every jurisdiction.

Graduation Rate Spread and Distribution

Support modules summarize the highest and lowest clusters, Census region spread, and rate bands.

Top and Bottom Cluster

Top 8 and bottom 8 jurisdictions from the full AFGR ranking.

Top 8

1. Wisconsin 95.8%
2. Kansas 92.6%
3. Nebraska 92.2%
4. Minnesota 92.1%
5. Virginia 91.2%
6. New Jersey 91.1%
7. Iowa 90.8%
8. Pennsylvania 90.8%

Bottom 8

44. Washington 81.7%
45. Tennessee 81.0%
46. South Dakota 80.8%
47. Hawaii 80.7%
48. Vermont 78.9%
49. Louisiana 76.9%
50. District of Columbia 72.8%
51. New Mexico 71.0%

Green bars mark the highest cluster; red bars mark the lowest cluster.

Data analysis
  • The top 8 range from 90.8% to 95.8%.
  • The bottom 8 range from 71.0% to 81.7%.
  • The gap between the 8th-ranked jurisdiction and the 44th-ranked jurisdiction is 9.1 percentage points.

Regional Average AFGR

Census region averages calculated from the 51 jurisdiction rows.

Regional averages are simple averages of jurisdiction rates, not enrollment-weighted rates.

Chart analysis
  • Midwest has the highest simple regional average at 89.1%.
  • South and West both average 84.3%.
  • The regional average gap between Midwest and South/West is 4.8 percentage points.

Rate Band Distribution

Number of jurisdictions in each AFGR band.

Bands group jurisdictions by reported 2022-23 AFGR.

Chart analysis
  • 21 jurisdictions fall in the 85.0-89.9% band.
  • 10 jurisdictions report rates of 90.0% or higher.
  • 4 jurisdictions fall below 80.0%.
Region Jurisdictions Average Median Low High Range
Northeast 9 87.1% 88.7% Vermont (78.9%) New Jersey (91.1%) 12.2 pts
Midwest 12 89.1% 90.1% South Dakota (80.8%) Wisconsin (95.8%) 15.0 pts
South 17 84.3% 85.2% District of Columbia (72.8%) Virginia (91.2%) 18.4 pts
West 13 84.3% 84.6% New Mexico (71.0%) California (89.7%) 18.7 pts
Table analysis
  • West has the widest regional range at 18.7 points.
  • Midwest has the highest regional median at 90.1%.
  • Northeast has the narrowest range at 12.2 points.
Band Jurisdictions Share States
Below 80% 4 7.8% District of Columbia, Louisiana, New Mexico, Vermont
80.0-84.9% 16 31.4% Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi, Montana ...
85.0-89.9% 21 41.2% Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware ...
90.0-94.9% 9 17.6% Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey ...
95.0% and above 1 2.0% Wisconsin
Table analysis
  • The modal band is 85.0-89.9%.
  • The 80.0-84.9% band contains 16 jurisdictions.
  • Only 1 jurisdiction reaches the 95.0% and above band.

Graduation Rate Data Notes

Interpretation is limited to the selected federal graduation-rate indicator.

Metric boundary

The ranking uses AFGR. It does not use a state ACGR file, diploma-standard review, or postsecondary outcome measure.

National rate vs state average

The U.S. rate is a national calculation. The 51-jurisdiction average is a simple unweighted calculation.

State comparisons

State-level values may reflect reporting rules, diploma rules, and data collection timing. The ranking is only for the selected rate.

Omitted plan modules

Spending scatter, subgroup gap, and year-by-year heatmap modules require a separate source-year match. They are not rendered in the data modules above.

Source and Methodology

Data source NCES Digest of Education Statistics, Table 219.40.
Data collection Common Core of Data, State Dropout and Completion Data File.
Latest available year School year 2022-23.
Unit of measure Percent AFGR, rounded to one decimal place.
Coverage 50 states and District of Columbia.
Official links NCES Table 219.40 · CCD Data Tables

Ranking order is descending by total AFGR. Ties are ordered alphabetically. U.S. difference is calculated as state AFGR minus the national AFGR of 87.4%. Regional summaries use Census regions and are simple, unweighted jurisdiction calculations.

The source defines AFGR as an estimate based on aggregate enrollment and regular diploma counts. The source notes that rates exceeding 100 percent are capped at 100 percent in Table 219.40.

Methodological Safety Note

The 2026 title should not be read as a 2026 final state graduation-rate release. The values shown are the latest complete NCES state table available for this metric. Rankings do not measure school quality, course rigor, diploma standards, college readiness, or state finance levels.