The Maryland State Department of Education released data on the four-year cohort graduation rate for students graduating from Maryland public schools in the spring of 2023.
The four-year 2023 cohort graduation rate was 85.8%, down from 86.3% in the prior year. Students in the 2023 cohort entered ninth grade in the 2019-2020 school year and a critical portion of their high school experience was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Starting in the spring of 2020, this cohort of students experienced primarily virtual learning methods, until they returned to in-person learning in their 11th grade.
“Maryland’s students are among the best and brightest in the world and while our graduation rates are good, they can be better,” said Interim State Superintendent Carey M. Wright. “We have an opportunity to build upon our education system’s strong foundation to achieve the equitable and successful outcomes we want for all students.”
For most student groups, the 2023 four-year cohort graduation rates remained stable as compared to the 2022 cohort rate. An exception was the graduation rate for economically disadvantaged students, which increased from 75.7% in the 2021-2022 school year to 80.8% in the 2022-2023 school year.
In addition, the four-year cohort graduation rate increased slightly for Black/African American students, reaching 84.7% in the 2022-2023 school year, up from 84% in the prior year.
“The most recent graduation rate data brings to the fore the urgency of our work to fully implement the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and our Strategic Plan priorities. Only through a system-wide transformation from early childhood through grade 12 can we ensure that all Maryland students graduate from high school and that they do so prepared to succeed in college, careers, and life.” said Maryland State Board of Education President Clarence C. Crawford “This work is already happening in many schools across the state. It’s time to share what we learned and remain committed day in and day out to transform Maryland into a system of world-class schools.”
The Maryland State Department of Education also released the five-year cohort graduation rate, which is the percentage of students who graduate within five years. Out of the 67,072 students who started ninth grade in the 2018-2019 school year, 88.2% graduated by the 2022-2023 school year, a decrease from 89% the prior year. Maryland’s cohort graduation rates follow a cohort of students from their freshman year through their senior year, as required by federal reporting standards.
Data on Maryland’s four-year and five-year cohort graduation rates, as well as the four-year cohort dropout rate, for the State as a whole, local education agencies, and individual high schools can be found on the Maryland Report Card website, at MDReportcard.org.
