Maryland high school graduation rate reaches seven-year high
High school graduation rates hit a seven-hear high of 88% in 2024, new state data shows. (Getty Images photo.)
By Erin Sjostedt
Maryland's high school graduation rate climbed to 88% in 2024, reaching its highest point since 2017, according to the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). The increase of nearly 2 percentage points over the previous year marks a significant recovery following pandemic-era declines.
The 2024 data from MSDE shows significant gains among student groups that have historically faced barriers to graduation. Hispanic students saw their graduation rate rise over seven percentage points from 2023-2024, while multilingual learners experienced a dramatic increase of over 10%.
'Last year was the largest year-over-year gain of any student group, and I think that's a testimony to targeted, sustained supports that are making the difference,' said Theresa Timmons Parrott, an MSDE official focused on multilingual education. 'It's a step in the right direction, but it's not the finish line.'
Anne Arundel County Public Schools reported a graduation rate of 89%, two percentage points above the state average. North County High School in Glen Burnie, a Title I school, achieved a 7% increase in its graduation rate.
Bob Mosier, chief communications officer for Anne Arundel County Public Schools, said 'every student group is different, and so it's providing students with what it is that they need on an individual basis to be successful.'
'A nearly full-point jump in overall graduation rate is a very significant accomplishment,' said Mosier. 'We also had six schools that increased by two percentage points or more.'
Mosier credited the district's progress in part to Project Graduation, a systemwide initiative launched two years ago to provide tailored support to students at risk of not finishing high school on time.
'It really is a laser-like focus on individual students and what those students need in order to graduate, graduate on time,' Mosier said about the project. 'We put that in place two years ago, … and we're starting to see that pay off now.'
In Baltimore City, the four-year graduation rate rose by one percentage point for the 2023 graduating class. MSDE said the district focused on ninth-grade intervention and reducing chronic absenteeism, two predictors of long-term academic success. According to MSDE's public dataset, Baltimore also saw improved outcomes among English language learners and students experiencing homelessness.
Statewide, female students continued to graduate at higher rates than male students, and white and Asian students graduated at higher rates than their Black and Hispanic peers. Students with disabilities graduated at a rate of 69%, still well below the statewide average. Economically disadvantaged students' graduation rate increased slightly from 2023, graduating at a rate of 82%.
The graduation rate report comes as Maryland begins to implement the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, a landmark education reform law that aims to expand early childhood education, increase college and career readiness and close equity gaps. Several of the strategies outlined in the Blueprint — including community school models and increased funding for English language learners — align with areas of progress highlighted in the 2024 data.
'If you dig down into the Blueprint, it really lays the foundation for the strategies we're seeing pay off,' Parrott said. She attributes a large portion of the progress made to broaden access to early childhood education, target funding for multilingual learners, and mandate college and career readiness pathways by tenth grade.
While the Blueprint for Maryland's Future has driven recent graduation gains, lawmakers enacted adjustments this year due to a projected $3 billion budget shortfall. The Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act, passed in April 2025, includes a three-year delay in implementing teacher collaborative time and provisions to freeze increases in funding if state revenues significantly decline.
Still, regional disparities persist. While some districts reported graduation rates above 90%, others, particularly in rural counties on the Eastern Shore and in Western Maryland, sit at 80% and below. Education advocates say these gaps underscore the need for continued investment and monitoring.
'This is great news for Maryland,' State Superintendent of Schools Carey Wright said in a press release from MSDE. 'When we set high standards, deliver strong instruction, and invest in proven supports, our students show that they will exceed expectations.'
As the 2025 graduating class enters its final year, educators and policymakers are cautiously optimistic. The latest data suggests that Maryland's post-pandemic recovery is underway, however state education officials say it will require long-term commitment to equity, funding and student support services to maintain.
– Capital News Service is a student-staffed reporting service operated by the University of Maryland's Phillip Merrill College of Journalism. Stories are available at the CNS site and may be reprinted as long as credit is given to Capital News Service and, most importantly, to the students who produced the work.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
43 minutes ago
- Axios
Portuguese is the third most-spoken language in Utah
Portuguese, Chinese and German are the three most commonly spoken languages in Utah, other than English and Spanish, per new census data. Why it matters: The myriad languages spoken across the state reflect the settlement and colonization of centuries long past, as well as more modern immigration patterns. By the numbers: Just over 13,800 people speak Portuguese in Utah, followed by 9,100 Chinese speakers and 8,500 German speakers, per the census data. That is a fraction of the 310,300 Spanish speakers in the Beehive State. The survey data represents the languages spoken at home from 2017 to 2021 among people five years and older in the U.S. The intrigue: Portuguese is prevalent in Utah in part because the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has ties to Brazil. The South American country is home to 1.5 million church members, according to church statistics. As of 2022, about 7,700 foreign-born residents of Utah hailed from Brazil, according to Portuguese is the top language after English and Spanish in four other states: Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Between the lines: Nationally, many multilingual people speak one language at home with family, but use English at work, school and elsewhere. Just over 60% of people who speak a language other than English at home also say they speak English "very well," per the census data. Zoom out: Chinese, Tagalog and Vietnamese are the three most common languages spoken in the U.S. after English and Spanish, per the census data.
Axios
3 hours ago
- Axios
Columbus Zoo is on baby elephant watch
Talk about big news: For the first time in the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium's history, two Asian elephants are pregnant at the same time — and one is due any day now. Why it matters: The species is endangered, and its population in accredited zoos is currently unsustainable due to dwindling numbers and a lack of genetic diversity, according to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The calves' father — Sabu, from the Cincinnati Zoo, who lived here temporarily — has no living offspring, so the births will bolster the gene pool. The big picture: The news comes as some zoos are moving away from keeping elephants amid increasing care standards, which require lots of space and expense. Others, like Columbus, are investing more by expanding habitats, encouraging breeding, and working with global partners to conserve wild elephants. Advocates say keeping elephants is important for research and education. A 2023 AZA strategic plan calls for increased collaboration among zoos, including transferring animals for breeding. Threat level:"If we don't do something as a group, we're not going to have elephants in 100 years," says Adam Felts, senior zoo curator and head of the AZA's Species Survival Plan. At last count, there were 157 Asian elephants in 27 AZA institutions. Zoom in: Felts took Axios behind the scenes to meet 38-year-old matriarch Phoebe, who is expecting her sixth calf. She's "all business," with a big appetite. The 7,400-pound pachyderm calmly used her trunk to funnel biscuits into her mouth while a veterinarian scanned her with an ultrasound probe. Her calf is likely the size of a Great Dane. It's impossible to see the entire thing in one image, but vets can view ribs, a skull or a beating heart. All appear healthy. Another elephant, 16-year-old Sunny, is due with her first calf between now and August, while Phoebe is due in the fall. Keepers hope the experienced mom will show Sunny the ropes. They're encouraged by her bond with Phoebe's 3-year-old calf, Frankie, who still lives at the zoo. The arrangement should mimic wild herd behaviors, in which females raise the young together and males are mostly solitary. The intrigue: The new calves will make history in another way, as Columbus' first to be vaccinated for elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV). The devastating virus is the leading cause of death among AZA elephants, and calves are especially at risk. A vaccine became available last year. What's next: Elephants are pregnant up to 22 months, so expect lots of fanfare when the 200-plus-pound bundles of joy finally arrive. 1 fun prenatal ritual: elephant yoga Impress your friends with this fun fact: the Columbus Zoo's herd is trained in "elephant yoga." How it works: The elephants follow a target and maneuver into various poses, such as stretching their feet and trunks, kneeling, and lying on the ground. Between the lines: Keepers say practicing the moves keeps them limber and engaged. It also helps them learn to get into positions for routine health monitoring, such as blood draws, exams and ultrasounds. 😅 Alissa's thought bubble: I definitely couldn't move as gracefully during my pregnancy as 7,400-pound Phoebe does. Impressive.
New York Post
14 hours ago
- New York Post
Story of Vietnamese orphans who resettled here 50 years ago proves there are greater things than politics
Fifty years ago, near the end of the Vietnam War, as North Vietnamese troops headed south, the director of the Cam Ranh Christian Orphanage, Pastor Nguyen Xuan Ha — known to everyone as Mr. Ha —decided it was time to escape to somewhere safe. Mr. Ha put 85 children and staff on two buses and headed for Saigon where he hoped they could flee to safety. One of the buses was shot at by a North Vietnamese soldier and the buses separated. Somehow they re-united in Saigon. After renting a boat and getting some distance from shore, the engine quit. For five days they drifted before a Thailand tanker approached. The captain refused to help, but later changed his mind, turned around and towed them for a while. After cutting the tow line, a group of fishermen towed them toward Singapore. Soldiers refused to let them ashore. Mr. Ha wrote a name on a piece of paper and asked a soldier if he could locate a missionary named Ralph Neighbour to help. Dr. Neighbour (now 96), newly arrived in Singapore, was miraculously found. He picks up the story from there in an email to me: 'Singapore government kept them out on St. John's Island. Our missionary team took clothes and food out. USA embassy contacted Swiss United Nations Refugee Center. Special flight arrived. Children whisked thru Singapore on bus with windows covered. Government feared losing neutrality during war. No official record they were there.' I knew Dr. Neighbour from when he was a pastor in Houston where I worked at a local TV station. He called and asked if I could help get the orphans and staff to the United States and find temporary housing for them. I contacted some Washington officials I knew and permission for them to enter the country was granted. When they arrived in Houston, a church couple with a large ranch offered them shelter and food until the Buckner Children and Family Services in Dallas could assist with processing and adoptions. I interviewed the youngest, oldest and one in between who made the anniversary trip. Sam Schrade, who was a baby when he was rescued from the streets of Saigon, is 51 and owns a successful media business in Houston. How would his life have been different had he stayed in Vietnam? He says the fact that he is of 'mixed race' (American-Asian) would make it 'doubly hard' because native Vietnamese 'look down upon such people. I have been told by many people I would not have had a good life here because of the race issue and a government that didn't want me.' Kelli St. German, now 56, thinks she might have been growing coffee beans and doing hard labor had she not come to America. She also believes she would not have developed a strong faith because of the state's antipathy toward religion. 'I became a teacher for 30 years.' Thomas Ho, the oldest orphan, now 76, was 25 when he left Vietnam. He helped organize the evacuation and prepared small amounts of food for the children. In America he became a chef and then studied to become an engineer. He says if he had stayed in Vietnam, 'I might not have survived, especially at my age now. Life here is very difficult. A lot of the food is not very healthy.' Reuniting with these adults, many of whom I met when they were children, is a reminder that there are things far greater than politics, celebrities and the petty jealousies that are the focus of too many of us. There are few greater blessings than to have had a role in changing these lives for the better. These former orphans are blessed. So am I. Cal Thomas is a veteran political commentator, columnist and author.
