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Michigan’s four-year high school graduation rate is at a new high, according to data released by the state Friday.
The high school graduation rate for 2025 was just above 84%, up from 82.83% the previous year. Michigan’s high school dropout rate is 7.13%, slightly slower than 7.68% the previous year.
The numbers don’t add up to 100% because they don’t account for students who had been in high school for four years but had not yet graduated, those who earned a GED certificate rather than a high school diploma or those who had aged out of special education.
“Michigan’s historically high graduation rate is a reflection of the efforts of Michigan students, educators, families and communities as well as state leaders,” said State Superintendent Glenn Maleyko in a statement.
“It takes all of us collaborating to put Students First and support them so they can graduate, be successful in postsecondary endeavors, and realize their dreams. There’s more work to do because we want all students to graduate, but we know we can make further progress while also improving other student outcomes such as literacy.”
The state uses a model that measures the time it takes for ninth grade students to earn a high school diploma. It has done so since the 2007-08 school year.
High school students can stay in school to complete their diploma even if they do not complete it in four years. The state also keeps track of students who graduate with both a high school diploma and associate degree from an early middle college. These programs typically take five years.
Statewide, graduation rates are also up for economically disadvantaged students and students with disabilities. Students experiencing homelessness had a 64% four-year graduation rate, compared with nearly 60% the year before.
Improvement strategies are working for many students
The more than 83% graduation rate for the state’s largest district, Detroit Public Schools Community District, was its highest since the state began using the current formula.
“Our teachers, counselors, principals, and staff knew we could do better and put in the work every day to get us here,” said Superintendent Nikolai Vitti in a statement Friday.
The district’s rate is less than a percentage point below the statewide average, Vitti noted, and 7.3 points higher than it was in 2018-19, the last school year before the pandemic. At that time, DPSCD was 5.5 percentage points behind the state’s average.
The school system improved its rate by expanding ways for students to make up course credit, additional counselors, improved tracking of students’ academic progress and putting mental health intervention programs at neighborhood high schools, according to the superintendent.
Still, SAT scores show many DPSCD high schoolers are not meeting college readiness benchmarks. In 2024-25, 85% of students in the district scored below benchmarks in math and 63.9% scored below benchmarks in reading and writing.
Table: Kristi Tanner, Detroit Free Press – Source: Center for Educational Performance and Information – Created with Datawrapper
According to the College Board, students who meet the SAT benchmarks have a 75% chance of earning a passing grade or better in first-semester college courses.
“We still haven’t completely arrived where students need us to be as a district but we are certainly making historic strides,” he said.
At Lansing School District, the improved 94% graduation rate and 2% dropout rate for 2025 are the result of deliberate efforts by the district” The graduation rate is significantly higher than four years ago, when it stood at 62.1%.
Graduation specialists and high school counselors from throughout the district meet monthly to review data on students who are on track to graduate, and those who are off-track or have dropped out, said Anna DiPonio, director of data and accountability for the district. Staff also discuss ways to support students and try to reconnect with those who have left school.
“We’re super happy about the improvement that we’re making because we know what that means for kids,” said Interim Superintendent Jessica Benavides.
She said the diploma means more college and career opportunities. Recent high school graduates are eligible for a host of college grants and scholarships. The state’s signature Michigan Achievement Scholarship provides up to $5,500 annually for a state public university or independent nonprofit college. The program also covers up to full tuition for community college.
Despite the improved graduation rates, 94.9% of Lansing students are testing below college readiness benchmarks for math and 72.9% for reading and writing.
Venessa Keesler, president and CEO of Launch Michigan, a bipartisan group working to change high school graduation standards, called the increased statewide graduation rates “great news.”
“What we need to do now is increase the rigor of what that diploma means and what students are prepared to do with that diploma.”
Keesler is urging the state to adopt graduation standards that combine academics, college and career exposure and “durable skills” like teamwork and communication.
Statewide, only about 27% of high schoolers are college-ready, as determined by student performance on the SAT.
Making high school more meaningful for students helps
The graduation rate for Kentwood Public Schools was 84.35%, up more than 2.5 percentage points above the rate in 2024. Superintendent Kevin Polston, said “We’re not where we want to be,” but that he is proud of the work that has been done in the district. Like other districts, far fewer of the district’s high school students are considered college-ready based on the SAT benchmarks.
“We really rolled up our sleeves to make learning relevant and more meaningful for students,” Polston said.
They’ve done that by offering more career and technical education options and giving students more access to work-based learning. The goal is to make learning more connected to the interests of students and their potential careers.
At Crossroads High, the district’s alternative high school, students spend two days a week in the community in a work setting. The district is in the third year of that effort, and Polston said it helps connect students to jobs or career training after high school, and they’ve seen attendance and graduation rates increase.
The district has worked to add new career and technical education programs that students desire, including a culinary arts program he said has had a waiting list of 400 students. The district has also added more career classes that allow students to explore careers without committing to a lengthier CTE program.
“When we talk to students, they want learning to make sense. They want it to be something they’re interested in and passionate about,” Polston said.
The decline in the dropout rate, as well as the improved graduation rates for some of the most vulnerable students in the state, including those experiencing homelessness, is heartening, said Bob Kefgen, the associate director of government relations at the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals.
“Those are big wins,” he said. “Principals reviewing their graduation and dropout rate data don’t just see numbers. “These numbers represent relationships, they represent interventions … on behalf of students.”
Getting a student across the stage to graduate starts in ninth grade and includes constant monitoring, making sure the student is on track to graduate and intervening when necessary, Kefgen said. Sometimes those interventions are academic, making sure the students get the support they need to improve in their classes. But it can also include addressing barriers to getting to school, building relationships with families, and building relationships in the community.
“Really, we throw everything in the kitchen sink behind getting kids across the stage.”
Look up your local district’s graduation rate here.
This story was completed through a partnership between Bridge Michigan, Chalkbeat Detroit, BridgeDetroit and the Detroit Free Press.
Lori Higgins from Chalkbeat Detroit contributed to this story.
Isabel Lohman is a reporter for Bridge Michigan. You can reach her at ilohman@bridgemi.com
Kristi Tanner is a reporter for the Detroit Free Press. You can reach her at ktanner@freepress.com.
Hannah Dellinger is a reporter for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.
Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.
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