Data / Rankings / High school graduation rate (4-year adjusted cohort) / US states

US states by high school graduation rate (4-year adjusted cohort)

Iowa had the highest high school graduation rate (4-year adjusted cohort) of 48 states in 2012, at 89%. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 59%. The median was 80.5% and the figure for the United States was 80%. Source: National Center for Education Statistics.

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Highest89Iowa
Lowest59District of Columbia
Median80.548 states
United States80History

Map of states, 2012

Alabama: 75 %Alaska: 70 %Arizona: 76 %Arkansas: 84 %California: 79 %Colorado: 75 %Connecticut: 85 %Delaware: 80 %District of Columbia: 59 %Florida: 75 %Georgia: 70 %Hawaii: 81 %Illinois: 82 %Indiana: 86 %Iowa: 89 %Kansas: 85 %Louisiana: 72 %Maine: 85 %Maryland: 84 %Massachusetts: 85 %Michigan: 76 %Minnesota: 78 %Mississippi: 75 %Missouri: 84 %Montana: 84 %Nebraska: 88 %Nevada: 63 %New Hampshire: 86 %New Jersey: 86 %New Mexico: 70 %New York: 77 %North Carolina: 80 %North Dakota: 87 %Ohio: 81 %Oregon: 68 %Pennsylvania: 84 %Rhode Island: 77 %South Carolina: 75 %South Dakota: 83 %Tennessee: 87 %Texas: 88 %Utah: 80 %Vermont: 88 %Virginia: 83 %Washington: 77 %West Virginia: 79 %Wisconsin: 88 %Wyoming: 79 %
  • Under 75
  • 75 to 77
  • 77 to 81
  • 81 to 84
  • 84 to 86
  • 86 and over
  • No data
%, 2012. Hatched areas have no value for this period. Source: NCES, Digest of Education Statistics, table 219.46: public high school 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR), total, by state. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2012

Iowa: 89 %Iowa89Nebraska: 88 %Nebraska88Texas: 88 %Texas88Vermont: 88 %Vermont88Wisconsin: 88 %Wisconsin88North Dakota: 87 %North Dakota87Tennessee: 87 %Tennessee87Indiana: 86 %Indiana86New Hampshire: 86 %New Hampshire86New Jersey: 86 %New Jersey86Connecticut: 85 %Connecticut85Kansas: 85 %Kansas85Maine: 85 %Maine85Massachusetts: 85 %Massachusetts85Arkansas: 84 %Arkansas84Maryland: 84 %Maryland84Missouri: 84 %Missouri84Montana: 84 %Montana84Pennsylvania: 84 %Pennsylvania84South Dakota: 83 %South Dakota83Virginia: 83 %Virginia83Illinois: 82 %Illinois82Hawaii: 81 %Hawaii81Ohio: 81 %Ohio81Delaware: 80 %Delaware80North Carolina: 80 %North Carolina80Utah: 80 %Utah80California: 79 %California79West Virginia: 79 %West Virginia79Wyoming: 79 %Wyoming79Minnesota: 78 %Minnesota78New York: 77 %New York77Rhode Island: 77 %Rhode Island77Washington: 77 %Washington77Arizona: 76 %Arizona76Michigan: 76 %Michigan76Alabama: 75 %Alabama75Colorado: 75 %Colorado75Florida: 75 %Florida75Mississippi: 75 %Mississippi75South Carolina: 75 %South Carolina75Louisiana: 72 %Louisiana72Alaska: 70 %Alaska70Georgia: 70 %Georgia70New Mexico: 70 %New Mexico70Oregon: 68 %Oregon68Nevada: 63 %Nevada63District of Columbia: 59 %District of Columbia59Iowa: 89 %Iowa89Nebraska: 88 %Nebraska88Texas: 88 %Texas88Vermont: 88 %Vermont88Wisconsin: 88 %Wisconsin88North Dakota: 87 %North Dakota87Tennessee: 87 %Tennessee87Indiana: 86 %Indiana86New Hampshire: 86 %New Hampshire86New Jersey: 86 %New Jersey86Connecticut: 85 %Connecticut85Kansas: 85 %Kansas85Maine: 85 %Maine85Massachusetts: 85 %Massachusetts85Arkansas: 84 %Arkansas84Maryland: 84 %Maryland84Missouri: 84 %Missouri84Montana: 84 %Montana84Pennsylvania: 84 %Pennsylvania84South Dakota: 83 %South Dakota83Virginia: 83 %Virginia83Illinois: 82 %Illinois82Hawaii: 81 %Hawaii81Ohio: 81 %Ohio81Delaware: 80 %Delaware80North Carolina: 80 %North Carolina80Utah: 80 %Utah80California: 79 %California79West Virginia: 79 %West Virginia79Wyoming: 79 %Wyoming79Minnesota: 78 %Minnesota78New York: 77 %New York77Rhode Island: 77 %Rhode Island77Washington: 77 %Washington77Arizona: 76 %Arizona76Michigan: 76 %Michigan76Alabama: 75 %Alabama75Colorado: 75 %Colorado75Florida: 75 %Florida75Mississippi: 75 %Mississippi75South Carolina: 75 %South Carolina75Louisiana: 72 %Louisiana72Alaska: 70 %Alaska70Georgia: 70 %Georgia70New Mexico: 70 %New Mexico70Oregon: 68 %Oregon68Nevada: 63 %Nevada63District of Columbia: 59 %District of Columbia59
%. Source: NCES, Digest of Education Statistics, table 219.46: public high school 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR), total, by state. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2012 (%)
1Iowa89
2Nebraska88
2Texas88
2Vermont88
2Wisconsin88
6North Dakota87
6Tennessee87
8Indiana86
8New Hampshire86
8New Jersey86
11Connecticut85
11Kansas85
11Maine85
11Massachusetts85
15Arkansas84
15Maryland84
15Missouri84
15Montana84
15Pennsylvania84
20South Dakota83
20Virginia83
22Illinois82
23Hawaii81
23Ohio81
25Delaware80
25North Carolina80
25Utah80
28California79
28West Virginia79
28Wyoming79
31Minnesota78
32New York77
32Rhode Island77
32Washington77
35Arizona76
35Michigan76
37Alabama75
37Colorado75
37Florida75
37Mississippi75
37South Carolina75
42Louisiana72
43Alaska70
43Georgia70
43New Mexico70
46Oregon68
47Nevada63
48District of Columbia59

Other periods

About this ranking

Share of public high school students who graduate with a regular diploma within four years of starting grade 9, adjusted for students who transfer in, transfer out, emigrate or die (the 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate, ACGR), as a percentage. From the NCES Digest of Education Statistics, based on state reports to the U.S. Department of Education. The year is the end of the school year (2022 means 2021-22).

States set their own diploma requirements, so rates are not fully comparable between states. 2011-12 rates are published as whole numbers. The national rate covers the 50 states and the District of Columbia; NCES estimates parts of it where a state did not report.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the states are compared on one definition. 3 states with data in other periods have no value for 2012 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. Digest of Education Statistics, table 219.46: public high school 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR), total, by state. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_219.46.asp. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

National Center for Education Statistics. (2024). Digest of Education Statistics, table 219.46: public high school 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR), total, by state (US states by high school graduation rate (4-year adjusted cohort), 2012) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_219.46.asp

MLA 9

Digest of Education Statistics, table 219.46: public high school 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR), total, by state, US states by high school graduation rate (4-year adjusted cohort), 2012. National Center for Education Statistics, 15 May 2024, https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_219.46.asp. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/high-school-graduation-rate/us-states?period=2012. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

National Center for Education Statistics. 2024. Digest of Education Statistics, table 219.46: public high school 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR), total, by state. US states by high school graduation rate (4-year adjusted cohort), 2012. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_219.46.asp. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/high-school-graduation-rate/us-states?period=2012.

Harvard

National Center for Education Statistics (2024) Digest of Education Statistics, table 219.46: public high school 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR), total, by state, US states by high school graduation rate (4-year adjusted cohort), 2012 [Dataset]. Available at: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_219.46.asp, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/high-school-graduation-rate/us-states?period=2012 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{national_us_states_by_high_2012,
  author = {{National Center for Education Statistics}},
  title = {{Digest of Education Statistics, table 219.46: public high school 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR), total, by state: US states by high school graduation rate (4-year adjusted cohort), 2012}},
  year = {2024},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_219.46.asp},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/high-school-graduation-rate/us-states?period=2012. Publisher attribution: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. Digest of Education Statistics, table 219.46: public high school 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR), total, by state. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23\_219.46.asp. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - National Center for Education Statistics
TI  - Digest of Education Statistics, table 219.46: public high school 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR), total, by state: US states by high school graduation rate (4-year adjusted cohort), 2012
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/05/15
PB  - National Center for Education Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_219.46.asp
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/high-school-graduation-rate/us-states?period=2012
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/high-school-graduation-rate/us-states?period=2012.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. Digest of Education Statistics, table 219.46: public high school 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR), total, by state. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_219.46.asp. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest high school graduation rate (4-year adjusted cohort)?

Iowa, with 89% in 2012, according to National Center for Education Statistics.

Which state has the lowest high school graduation rate (4-year adjusted cohort)?

District of Columbia, with 59% in 2012.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, table 219.46: public high school 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR), total, by state. Retrieved 2026-10-12. 3 states have no value for 2012 and are not ranked.

US states: more rankings