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 51 states in 2014, at 90.5%. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 61.4%. The median was 83.9% and the figure for the United States was 82.3%. Source: National Center for Education Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest90.5Iowa
Lowest61.4District of Columbia
Median83.951 states
United States82.3History

Map of states, 2014

Alabama: 86.3 %Alaska: 71.1 %Arizona: 75.7 %Arkansas: 86.9 %California: 81 %Colorado: 77.3 %Connecticut: 87 %Delaware: 87 %District of Columbia: 61.4 %Florida: 76.1 %Georgia: 72.5 %Hawaii: 81.8 %Idaho: 77.3 %Illinois: 86 %Indiana: 87.9 %Iowa: 90.5 %Kansas: 85.7 %Kentucky: 87.5 %Louisiana: 74.6 %Maine: 86.5 %Maryland: 86.4 %Massachusetts: 86.1 %Michigan: 78.6 %Minnesota: 81.2 %Mississippi: 77.6 %Missouri: 87.3 %Montana: 85.4 %Nebraska: 89.7 %Nevada: 70 %New Hampshire: 88.1 %New Jersey: 88.6 %New Mexico: 68.5 %New York: 77.8 %North Carolina: 83.9 %North Dakota: 87.2 %Ohio: 81.8 %Oklahoma: 82.7 %Oregon: 72 %Pennsylvania: 85.3 %Rhode Island: 80.8 %South Carolina: 80.1 %South Dakota: 82.7 %Tennessee: 87.2 %Texas: 88.3 %Utah: 83.9 %Vermont: 87.8 %Virginia: 85.3 %Washington: 78.2 %West Virginia: 84.5 %Wisconsin: 88.6 %Wyoming: 78.6 %
  • Under 77
  • 77 to 81
  • 81 to 84
  • 84 to 86
  • 86 to 87
  • 87 and over
%, 2014. 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, 2014

Iowa: 90.5 %Iowa90.5Nebraska: 89.7 %Nebraska89.7New Jersey: 88.6 %New Jersey88.6Wisconsin: 88.6 %Wisconsin88.6Texas: 88.3 %Texas88.3New Hampshire: 88.1 %New Hampshire88.1Indiana: 87.9 %Indiana87.9Vermont: 87.8 %Vermont87.8Kentucky: 87.5 %Kentucky87.5Missouri: 87.3 %Missouri87.3North Dakota: 87.2 %North Dakota87.2Tennessee: 87.2 %Tennessee87.2Connecticut: 87 %Connecticut87Delaware: 87 %Delaware87Arkansas: 86.9 %Arkansas86.9Maine: 86.5 %Maine86.5Maryland: 86.4 %Maryland86.4Alabama: 86.3 %Alabama86.3Massachusetts: 86.1 %Massachusetts86.1Illinois: 86 %Illinois86Kansas: 85.7 %Kansas85.7Montana: 85.4 %Montana85.4Pennsylvania: 85.3 %Pennsylvania85.3Virginia: 85.3 %Virginia85.3West Virginia: 84.5 %West Virginia84.5North Carolina: 83.9 %North Carolina83.9Utah: 83.9 %Utah83.9Oklahoma: 82.7 %Oklahoma82.7South Dakota: 82.7 %South Dakota82.7Hawaii: 81.8 %Hawaii81.8Ohio: 81.8 %Ohio81.8Minnesota: 81.2 %Minnesota81.2California: 81 %California81Rhode Island: 80.8 %Rhode Island80.8South Carolina: 80.1 %South Carolina80.1Michigan: 78.6 %Michigan78.6Wyoming: 78.6 %Wyoming78.6Washington: 78.2 %Washington78.2New York: 77.8 %New York77.8Mississippi: 77.6 %Mississippi77.6Colorado: 77.3 %Colorado77.3Idaho: 77.3 %Idaho77.3Florida: 76.1 %Florida76.1Arizona: 75.7 %Arizona75.7Louisiana: 74.6 %Louisiana74.6Georgia: 72.5 %Georgia72.5Oregon: 72 %Oregon72Alaska: 71.1 %Alaska71.1Nevada: 70 %Nevada70New Mexico: 68.5 %New Mexico68.5District of Columbia: 61.4 %District of Columbia61.4Iowa: 90.5 %Iowa90.5Nebraska: 89.7 %Nebraska89.7New Jersey: 88.6 %New Jersey88.6Wisconsin: 88.6 %Wisconsin88.6Texas: 88.3 %Texas88.3New Hampshire: 88.1 %New Hampshire88.1Indiana: 87.9 %Indiana87.9Vermont: 87.8 %Vermont87.8Kentucky: 87.5 %Kentucky87.5Missouri: 87.3 %Missouri87.3North Dakota: 87.2 %North Dakota87.2Tennessee: 87.2 %Tennessee87.2Connecticut: 87 %Connecticut87Delaware: 87 %Delaware87Arkansas: 86.9 %Arkansas86.9Maine: 86.5 %Maine86.5Maryland: 86.4 %Maryland86.4Alabama: 86.3 %Alabama86.3Massachusetts: 86.1 %Massachusetts86.1Illinois: 86 %Illinois86Kansas: 85.7 %Kansas85.7Montana: 85.4 %Montana85.4Pennsylvania: 85.3 %Pennsylvania85.3Virginia: 85.3 %Virginia85.3West Virginia: 84.5 %West Virginia84.5North Carolina: 83.9 %North Carolina83.9Utah: 83.9 %Utah83.9Oklahoma: 82.7 %Oklahoma82.7South Dakota: 82.7 %South Dakota82.7Hawaii: 81.8 %Hawaii81.8Ohio: 81.8 %Ohio81.8Minnesota: 81.2 %Minnesota81.2California: 81 %California81Rhode Island: 80.8 %Rhode Island80.8South Carolina: 80.1 %South Carolina80.1Michigan: 78.6 %Michigan78.6Wyoming: 78.6 %Wyoming78.6Washington: 78.2 %Washington78.2New York: 77.8 %New York77.8Mississippi: 77.6 %Mississippi77.6Colorado: 77.3 %Colorado77.3Idaho: 77.3 %Idaho77.3Florida: 76.1 %Florida76.1Arizona: 75.7 %Arizona75.7Louisiana: 74.6 %Louisiana74.6Georgia: 72.5 %Georgia72.5Oregon: 72 %Oregon72Alaska: 71.1 %Alaska71.1Nevada: 70 %Nevada70New Mexico: 68.5 %New Mexico68.5District of Columbia: 61.4 %District of Columbia61.4
%. 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

RankStates2014 (%)Change on 2013
1Iowa90.5+0.8 pts
2Nebraska89.7+1.2 pts
3New Jersey88.6+1.1 pts
3Wisconsin88.6+0.6 pts
5Texas88.3+0.3 pts
6New Hampshire88.1+0.8 pts
7Indiana87.9+0.9 pts
8Vermont87.8+1.2 pts
9Kentucky87.5+1.4 pts
10Missouri87.3+1.6 pts
11North Dakota87.2-0.3 pts
11Tennessee87.2+0.9 pts
13Connecticut87+1.5 pts
13Delaware87+6.6 pts
15Arkansas86.9+2 pts
16Maine86.5+0.1 pts
17Maryland86.4+1.4 pts
18Alabama86.3+6.3 pts
19Massachusetts86.1+1.1 pts
20Illinois86+2.8 pts
21Kansas85.70 pts
22Montana85.4+1 pts
23Pennsylvania85.3-0.2 pts
23Virginia85.3+0.8 pts
25West Virginia84.5+3.1 pts
26North Carolina83.9+1.4 pts
26Utah83.9+0.9 pts
28Oklahoma82.7-2.1 pts
28South Dakota82.70 pts
30Hawaii81.8-0.6 pts
30Ohio81.8-0.4 pts
32Minnesota81.2+1.4 pts
33California81+0.6 pts
34Rhode Island80.8+1.1 pts
35South Carolina80.1+2.5 pts
36Michigan78.6+1.6 pts
36Wyoming78.6+1.6 pts
38Washington78.2+1.8 pts
39New York77.8+1 pts
40Mississippi77.6+2.1 pts
41Colorado77.3+0.4 pts
41Idaho77.3n/a
43Florida76.1+0.5 pts
44Arizona75.7+0.6 pts
45Louisiana74.6+1.1 pts
46Georgia72.5+0.8 pts
47Oregon72+3.3 pts
48Alaska71.1-0.7 pts
49Nevada70-0.7 pts
50New Mexico68.5-1.8 pts
51District of Columbia61.4-0.9 pts

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. 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), 2014) [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), 2014. 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=2014. 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), 2014. 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=2014.

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), 2014 [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=2014 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{national_us_states_by_high_2014,
  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), 2014}},
  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=2014. 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), 2014
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=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/high-school-graduation-rate/us-states?period=2014.
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  -
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank US states by high school graduation rate (4-year adjusted cohort) using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"high_school_graduation_rate_acgr","level":"region","within":"United States","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=high_school_graduation_rate_acgr&level=region&within=United%20States&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

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

Iowa, with 90.5% in 2014, according to National Center for Education Statistics.

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

District of Columbia, with 61.4% in 2014.

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.

US states: more rankings