A high school diploma not only represents the development of essential knowledge and skills but is also a critical step toward personal and professional growth.

This graphic, via Visual Capitalist’s Bruno Venditti, shows the percentage of public school students who graduate with a regular high school diploma in each U.S. state. Data is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, for the school year 2021–22.

West Virginia Has the Highest Graduation Rate

The U.S. average high school graduation rate was 87% in the school year 2021–22.

West Virginia has the highest graduation rate, with 91% of its students graduating. Meanwhile, the District of Columbia has the lowest graduation rate, with 76%.

State
Percentage
West Virginia
91
Tennessee
90
Wisconsin
90
Kentucky
90
Massachusetts
90
Iowa
90
Missouri
90
Texas
90
Virginia
89
Kansas
89
Connecticut
89
Mississippi
89
New Hampshire
88
Delaware
88
Utah
88
Alabama
88
Arkansas
88
Indiana
88
Florida
87
Illinois
87
Pennsylvania
87
Nebraska
87
California
87
New York
87
North Carolina
86
Maryland
86
Ohio
86
Maine
86
Hawaii
86
Montana
86
New Jersey
85
North Dakota
85
Georgia
84
South Carolina
84
Minnesota
84
Washington
84
Rhode Island
83
Louisiana
83
Vermont
83
Colorado
82
Wyoming
82
Nevada
82
Oregon
81
Michigan
81
Idaho
80
Alaska
78
Arizona
77
District of Columbia
76
New Mexico
Not available
Oklahoma
Not available

Given that West Virginia typically struggles in rankings like this, this top placement might be surprising to some. This high graduation rate is part of a concerted effort by the state to increase its graduation rate.

In 2011, West Virginia’s graduation rate sat at 72% (which would put them dead last by today’s standards). How did the state see such a significant improvement? A data-driven early warning system was put in place to target individuals when they are at most risk of dropping out and using interventions to keep them on pace to graduate.

Alabama, also an early adopter of this system, saw a steep improvement in their graduation rate over the past decade and a half.

If you enjoy posts like these, check out Mapped: Personal Finance Requirements by State, which visualizes where high school students are required to take a personal finance course.