U.S. High School Graduation Rate by State 2026: Statistics & Rankings
State rankings use the latest NCES Digest table for public high school averaged freshman graduation rates. The 2026 label marks the publication cycle; the latest reported state values are for school year 2023–24.
The measure is the averaged freshman graduation rate (AFGR), an estimate of the percentage of students who receive a regular diploma within four years of entering ninth grade. AFGR is based on aggregate enrollment and diploma counts and is separate from the adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR).
Graduation Rate Statistics
The national AFGR and state values come from the same NCES table prepared in January 2026.
State Graduation Rate Map Grid
The state grid groups 2023–24 AFGR values into fixed rate bands. Hover text includes the U.S. difference, year-over-year movement, and Census region.
Distribution across rate bands
- 22 jurisdictions fall in the 85.0–89.9% band, the largest group.
- 15 jurisdictions report AFGR values of 90.0% or higher.
- 3 jurisdictions are below 80.0%: New Mexico, District of Columbia, and Vermont.
Graduation Rate Ranking: Top 20 Visual Summary
The chart displays the highest 20 jurisdictions by 2023–24 AFGR. The full 51-row ranking follows.
Nineteen jurisdictions in the top 20 are above the U.S. AFGR; New Jersey matches the national rate at 89.0%.
Full State Graduation Rate Ranking
Ranking is based on 2023–24 AFGR. The prior-year column shows movement from 2022–23 using the same NCES Digest table.
| Rank | State | Code | Region | 2022–23 AFGR | 2023–24 AFGR | Change | U.S. diff. | Source year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wisconsin | WI | Midwest | 95.8% | 96.2% | +0.4 pts | +7.2 pts | 2023–24 |
| 2 | Kansas | KS | Midwest | 92.6% | 94.6% | +2.0 pts | +5.6 pts | 2023–24 |
| 3 | Virginia | VA | South | 91.2% | 93.4% | +2.2 pts | +4.4 pts | 2023–24 |
| 4 | Nebraska | NE | Midwest | 92.2% | 92.9% | +0.7 pts | +3.9 pts | 2023–24 |
| 5 | Minnesota | MN | Midwest | 92.1% | 92.7% | +0.6 pts | +3.7 pts | 2023–24 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | PA | Northeast | 90.8% | 92.1% | +1.3 pts | +3.1 pts | 2023–24 |
| 7 | California | CA | West | 89.7% | 92.0% | +2.3 pts | +3.0 pts | 2023–24 |
| 8 | Iowa | IA | Midwest | 90.8% | 92.0% | +1.2 pts | +3.0 pts | 2023–24 |
| 9 | Ohio | OH | Midwest | 90.7% | 92.0% | +1.3 pts | +3.0 pts | 2023–24 |
| 10 | Indiana | IN | Midwest | 87.8% | 91.3% | +3.5 pts | +2.3 pts | 2023–24 |
| 11 | Texas | TX | South | 88.7% | 91.2% | +2.5 pts | +2.2 pts | 2023–24 |
| 12 | Missouri | MO | Midwest | 89.4% | 91.1% | +1.7 pts | +2.1 pts | 2023–24 |
| 13 | Connecticut | CT | Northeast | 88.7% | 90.8% | +2.1 pts | +1.8 pts | 2023–24 |
| 14 | Maine | ME | Northeast | 90.3% | 90.7% | +0.4 pts | +1.7 pts | 2023–24 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | MA | Northeast | 89.7% | 90.3% | +0.6 pts | +1.3 pts | 2023–24 |
| 16 | Kentucky | KY | South | 88.6% | 89.9% | +1.3 pts | +0.9 pts | 2023–24 |
| 17 | Florida | FL | South | 87.0% | 89.7% | +2.7 pts | +0.7 pts | 2023–24 |
| 18 | Delaware | DE | South | 85.8% | 89.3% | +3.5 pts | +0.3 pts | 2023–24 |
| 19 | Utah | UT | West | 88.8% | 89.3% | +0.5 pts | +0.3 pts | 2023–24 |
| 20 | New Jersey | NJ | Northeast | 91.1% | 89.0% | -2.1 pts | 0.0 pts | 2023–24 |
| 21 | North Carolina | NC | South | 86.6% | 88.8% | +2.2 pts | -0.2 pts | 2023–24 |
| 22 | Arkansas | AR | South | 85.2% | 88.7% | +3.5 pts | -0.3 pts | 2023–24 |
| 23 | Oklahoma | OK | South | 88.3% | 88.7% | +0.4 pts | -0.3 pts | 2023–24 |
| 24 | Idaho | ID | West | 87.0% | 88.6% | +1.6 pts | -0.4 pts | 2023–24 |
| 25 | Colorado | CO | West | 86.7% | 88.2% | +1.5 pts | -0.8 pts | 2023–24 |
| 26 | Maryland | MD | South | 85.7% | 88.1% | +2.4 pts | -0.9 pts | 2023–24 |
| 27 | Arizona | AZ | West | 88.1% | 88.0% | -0.1 pts | -1.0 pts | 2023–24 |
| 28 | Illinois | IL | Midwest | 87.7% | 88.0% | +0.3 pts | -1.0 pts | 2023–24 |
| 29 | Oregon | OR | West | 87.1% | 87.7% | +0.6 pts | -1.3 pts | 2023–24 |
| 30 | Michigan | MI | Midwest | 85.0% | 86.4% | +1.4 pts | -2.6 pts | 2023–24 |
| 31 | New York | NY | Northeast | 85.1% | 86.0% | +0.9 pts | -3.0 pts | 2023–24 |
| 32 | Alaska | AK | West | 84.3% | 85.7% | +1.4 pts | -3.3 pts | 2023–24 |
| 33 | New Hampshire | NH | Northeast | 84.5% | 85.6% | +1.1 pts | -3.4 pts | 2023–24 |
| 34 | Georgia | GA | South | 82.2% | 85.4% | +3.2 pts | -3.6 pts | 2023–24 |
| 35 | Nevada | NV | West | 83.4% | 85.2% | +1.8 pts | -3.8 pts | 2023–24 |
| 36 | Rhode Island | RI | Northeast | 84.6% | 85.2% | +0.6 pts | -3.8 pts | 2023–24 |
| 37 | Alabama | AL | South | 84.6% | 85.1% | +0.5 pts | -3.9 pts | 2023–24 |
| 38 | North Dakota | ND | Midwest | 84.8% | 84.9% | +0.1 pts | -4.1 pts | 2023–24 |
| 39 | Wyoming | WY | West | 83.0% | 83.8% | +0.8 pts | -5.2 pts | 2023–24 |
| 40 | South Carolina | SC | South | 82.1% | 83.7% | +1.6 pts | -5.3 pts | 2023–24 |
| 41 | Tennessee | TN | South | 81.0% | 83.3% | +2.3 pts | -5.7 pts | 2023–24 |
| 42 | Montana | MT | West | 84.6% | 82.8% | -1.8 pts | -6.2 pts | 2023–24 |
| 43 | Mississippi | MS | South | 81.9% | 82.3% | +0.4 pts | -6.7 pts | 2023–24 |
| 44 | Hawaii | HI | West | 80.7% | 82.2% | +1.5 pts | -6.8 pts | 2023–24 |
| 45 | West Virginia | WV | South | 84.0% | 82.2% | -1.8 pts | -6.8 pts | 2023–24 |
| 46 | Washington | WA | West | 81.7% | 81.9% | +0.2 pts | -7.1 pts | 2023–24 |
| 47 | South Dakota | SD | Midwest | 80.8% | 81.4% | +0.6 pts | -7.6 pts | 2023–24 |
| 48 | Louisiana | LA | South | 76.9% | 80.9% | +4.0 pts | -8.1 pts | 2023–24 |
| 49 | Vermont | VT | Northeast | 78.9% | 79.2% | +0.3 pts | -9.8 pts | 2023–24 |
| 50 | District of Columbia | DC | South | 72.8% | 75.2% | +2.4 pts | -13.8 pts | 2023–24 |
| 51 | New Mexico | NM | West | 71.0% | 72.9% | +1.9 pts | -16.1 pts | 2023–24 |
Movement from 2022–23
- The U.S. AFGR increased from 87.4% to 89.0%, a rise of 1.6 percentage points.
- Louisiana had the largest state increase in the table, from 76.9% to 80.9% (+4.0 points).
- New Jersey had the largest decline, from 91.1% to 89.0% (−2.1 points).
Graduation Rate Spread and Distribution
Regional statistics are simple, unweighted calculations across jurisdictions assigned to the four Census regions.
Regional Average AFGR
Simple average of 2023–24 state and DC AFGR values within each Census region.
The Midwest has the highest regional average at 90.3%.
Rate Band Distribution
Number of jurisdictions in each 2023–24 AFGR band.
The 85.0–89.9% band contains 22 jurisdictions.
| Region | Jurisdictions | Average | Median | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast | 9 | 87.7% | 89.0% | Vermont (79.2%) | Pennsylvania (92.1%) | 12.9 pts |
| Midwest | 12 | 90.3% | 91.7% | South Dakota (81.4%) | Wisconsin (96.2%) | 14.8 pts |
| South | 17 | 86.2% | 88.1% | District of Columbia (75.2%) | Virginia (93.4%) | 18.2 pts |
| West | 13 | 85.3% | 85.7% | New Mexico (72.9%) | California (92.0%) | 19.1 pts |
Regional rate spread
- The West has the widest regional range at 19.1 points, from New Mexico at 72.9% to California at 92.0%.
- The Midwest median is 91.7%, compared with a national AFGR of 89.0%.
| Band | Jurisdictions | Share | States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below 80% | 3 | 5.9% | District of Columbia, New Mexico, Vermont |
| 80.0–84.9% | 11 | 21.6% | Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming |
| 85.0–89.9% | 22 | 43.1% | Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah |
| 90.0–94.9% | 14 | 27.5% | California, Connecticut, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia |
| 95.0% and above | 1 | 2.0% | Wisconsin |
Graduation Rate Data Notes
The ranking describes one federal graduation-rate measure and should be interpreted within that definition.
AFGR measure
AFGR estimates the share of students receiving a regular diploma within four years of entering ninth grade. It uses aggregate grade enrollment and graduate counts rather than an individually tracked cohort.
National rate and state average
The U.S. AFGR of 89.0% is the national calculation reported by NCES. The 87.2% jurisdiction average is a simple unweighted mean of the 50 states and District of Columbia.
Diploma coverage
The NCES table includes regular diploma recipients. Certificates of attendance and high school equivalency credentials are excluded from the AFGR calculation.
Source and Methodology
Ranking order is descending by 2023–24 AFGR, with state name used to order ties. U.S. difference equals each jurisdiction's AFGR minus the national AFGR of 89.0%. Year-over-year change equals the 2023–24 AFGR minus the 2022–23 AFGR. Regional averages and medians are calculated from the 51 state and District of Columbia values and are not population-weighted.
AFGR uses aggregate enrollment data to estimate an incoming freshman class and aggregate regular-diploma counts four years later. It is not the same measure as ACGR. The 2026 title is a publication label; the ranked rates are school year 2023–24 values.