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

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

West Virginia had the highest high school graduation rate (4-year adjusted cohort) of 49 states in 2021, at 91.1%. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 74.8%. The median was 86.1% and the figure for the United States was 86.1%. Source: National Center for Education Statistics.

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Highest91.1West Virginia
Lowest74.8District of Columbia
Median86.149 states
United States86.1History

Map of states, 2021

Alabama: 90.7 %Alaska: 78.2 %Arizona: 76.4 %Arkansas: 88.4 %California: 83.6 %Colorado: 81.7 %Connecticut: 89.6 %Delaware: 80.5 %District of Columbia: 74.8 %Florida: 90.2 %Georgia: 83.7 %Hawaii: 86 %Idaho: 80.1 %Indiana: 88.2 %Iowa: 90.2 %Kansas: 87.9 %Kentucky: 90.2 %Louisiana: 82.1 %Maine: 86.1 %Maryland: 87.2 %Massachusetts: 89.8 %Michigan: 80.5 %Minnesota: 83.3 %Mississippi: 88.4 %Missouri: 89.2 %Montana: 86.1 %Nebraska: 87.6 %Nevada: 81.3 %New Hampshire: 87.1 %New Jersey: 88.5 %New Mexico: 76.6 %New York: 84.9 %North Carolina: 87 %North Dakota: 87 %Ohio: 85.3 %Oklahoma: 80 %Oregon: 80.6 %Pennsylvania: 86.7 %Rhode Island: 83.7 %South Carolina: 83.3 %South Dakota: 82.9 %Tennessee: 89.3 %Texas: 90 %Utah: 88.1 %Vermont: 83.2 %Virginia: 89.8 %West Virginia: 91.1 %Wisconsin: 89.6 %Wyoming: 82.5 %
  • Under 81
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%, 2021. 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, 2021

West Virginia: 91.1 %West Virginia91.1Alabama: 90.7 %Alabama90.7Florida: 90.2 %Florida90.2Iowa: 90.2 %Iowa90.2Kentucky: 90.2 %Kentucky90.2Texas: 90 %Texas90Massachusetts: 89.8 %Massachusetts89.8Virginia: 89.8 %Virginia89.8Connecticut: 89.6 %Connecticut89.6Wisconsin: 89.6 %Wisconsin89.6Tennessee: 89.3 %Tennessee89.3Missouri: 89.2 %Missouri89.2New Jersey: 88.5 %New Jersey88.5Arkansas: 88.4 %Arkansas88.4Mississippi: 88.4 %Mississippi88.4Indiana: 88.2 %Indiana88.2Utah: 88.1 %Utah88.1Kansas: 87.9 %Kansas87.9Nebraska: 87.6 %Nebraska87.6Maryland: 87.2 %Maryland87.2New Hampshire: 87.1 %New Hampshire87.1North Carolina: 87 %North Carolina87North Dakota: 87 %North Dakota87Pennsylvania: 86.7 %Pennsylvania86.7Maine: 86.1 %Maine86.1Montana: 86.1 %Montana86.1Hawaii: 86 %Hawaii86Ohio: 85.3 %Ohio85.3New York: 84.9 %New York84.9Georgia: 83.7 %Georgia83.7Rhode Island: 83.7 %Rhode Island83.7California: 83.6 %California83.6Minnesota: 83.3 %Minnesota83.3South Carolina: 83.3 %South Carolina83.3Vermont: 83.2 %Vermont83.2South Dakota: 82.9 %South Dakota82.9Wyoming: 82.5 %Wyoming82.5Louisiana: 82.1 %Louisiana82.1Colorado: 81.7 %Colorado81.7Nevada: 81.3 %Nevada81.3Oregon: 80.6 %Oregon80.6Delaware: 80.5 %Delaware80.5Michigan: 80.5 %Michigan80.5Idaho: 80.1 %Idaho80.1Oklahoma: 80 %Oklahoma80Alaska: 78.2 %Alaska78.2New Mexico: 76.6 %New Mexico76.6Arizona: 76.4 %Arizona76.4District of Columbia: 74.8 %District of Columbia74.8West Virginia: 91.1 %West Virginia91.1Alabama: 90.7 %Alabama90.7Florida: 90.2 %Florida90.2Iowa: 90.2 %Iowa90.2Kentucky: 90.2 %Kentucky90.2Texas: 90 %Texas90Massachusetts: 89.8 %Massachusetts89.8Virginia: 89.8 %Virginia89.8Connecticut: 89.6 %Connecticut89.6Wisconsin: 89.6 %Wisconsin89.6Tennessee: 89.3 %Tennessee89.3Missouri: 89.2 %Missouri89.2New Jersey: 88.5 %New Jersey88.5Arkansas: 88.4 %Arkansas88.4Mississippi: 88.4 %Mississippi88.4Indiana: 88.2 %Indiana88.2Utah: 88.1 %Utah88.1Kansas: 87.9 %Kansas87.9Nebraska: 87.6 %Nebraska87.6Maryland: 87.2 %Maryland87.2New Hampshire: 87.1 %New Hampshire87.1North Carolina: 87 %North Carolina87North Dakota: 87 %North Dakota87Pennsylvania: 86.7 %Pennsylvania86.7Maine: 86.1 %Maine86.1Montana: 86.1 %Montana86.1Hawaii: 86 %Hawaii86Ohio: 85.3 %Ohio85.3New York: 84.9 %New York84.9Georgia: 83.7 %Georgia83.7Rhode Island: 83.7 %Rhode Island83.7California: 83.6 %California83.6Minnesota: 83.3 %Minnesota83.3South Carolina: 83.3 %South Carolina83.3Vermont: 83.2 %Vermont83.2South Dakota: 82.9 %South Dakota82.9Wyoming: 82.5 %Wyoming82.5Louisiana: 82.1 %Louisiana82.1Colorado: 81.7 %Colorado81.7Nevada: 81.3 %Nevada81.3Oregon: 80.6 %Oregon80.6Delaware: 80.5 %Delaware80.5Michigan: 80.5 %Michigan80.5Idaho: 80.1 %Idaho80.1Oklahoma: 80 %Oklahoma80Alaska: 78.2 %Alaska78.2New Mexico: 76.6 %New Mexico76.6Arizona: 76.4 %Arizona76.4District of Columbia: 74.8 %District of Columbia74.8
%. 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

RankStates2021 (%)Change on 2020
1West Virginia91.1-1 pts
2Alabama90.7+0.1 pts
3Florida90.20 pts
3Iowa90.2-1.6 pts
3Kentucky90.2-0.9 pts
6Texas90n/a
7Massachusetts89.8+0.8 pts
7Virginia89.8+1 pts
9Connecticut89.6+1.3 pts
9Wisconsin89.6-0.8 pts
11Tennessee89.3-1.1 pts
12Missouri89.2-0.3 pts
13New Jersey88.5-2.5 pts
14Arkansas88.4-0.4 pts
14Mississippi88.4+0.7 pts
16Indiana88.2-2.7 pts
17Utah88.1-0.1 pts
18Kansas87.9-0.3 pts
19Nebraska87.6+0.1 pts
20Maryland87.2+0.4 pts
21New Hampshire87.1-1 pts
22North Carolina87-0.6 pts
22North Dakota87-2 pts
24Pennsylvania86.7-0.7 pts
25Maine86.1-1.3 pts
25Montana86.1+0.2 pts
27Hawaii86-0.3 pts
28Ohio85.3+0.9 pts
29New York84.9+1.4 pts
30Georgia83.7-0.1 pts
30Rhode Island83.7+0.1 pts
32California83.6-0.7 pts
33Minnesota83.3-0.5 pts
33South Carolina83.3+1.1 pts
35Vermont83.2+0.1 pts
36South Dakota82.9-1.3 pts
37Wyoming82.5+0.2 pts
38Louisiana82.1-0.8 pts
39Colorado81.7-0.2 pts
40Nevada81.3-1.3 pts
41Oregon80.6-2 pts
42Delaware80.5-8.5 pts
42Michigan80.5-1.6 pts
44Idaho80.1-2.1 pts
45Oklahoma80-0.8 pts
46Alaska78.2-0.9 pts
47New Mexico76.6-0.3 pts
48Arizona76.4-0.9 pts
49District of Columbia74.8+1.8 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. 2 states with data in other periods have no value for 2021 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

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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), 2021) [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), 2021. 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=2021. 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), 2021. 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=2021.

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), 2021 [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=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{national_us_states_by_high_2021,
  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), 2021}},
  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=2021. 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), 2021
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=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/high-school-graduation-rate/us-states?period=2021.
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)?

West Virginia, with 91.1% in 2021, according to National Center for Education Statistics.

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

District of Columbia, with 74.8% in 2021.

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. 2 states have no value for 2021 and are not ranked.

US states: more rankings