Michigan high school graduation rates reach new high

• Michigan’s four-year high school graduation rate is higher than last year and the last pre-pandemic school year 
• School leaders cite additional academic support, credit recovery options and close monitoring of student data
• State superintendent credits many course options as factor for student engagement, graduation totals 

Michigan’s four-year high school graduation rate is at the highest level in 16 years. 

It’s welcome news in a state where nearly 1 in 3 students is chronically absent and test scores show many students remain below proficiency in English language arts and math. 

Michigan’s four-year high school graduation is now 82.83%, up slightly from the previous year and above pre-pandemic numbers. 

The class of 2024 entered high school in 2020 as the pandemic altered the way schools delivered instruction. 

The state uses a model that measures the time it takes for ninth grade students to earn a high school diploma and has since the 2007-2008 school year.

Michigan’s high school dropout rate slightly lowered as well, at 7.68%, compared with 8.13% the previous year. 

Some students take longer than four years to graduate, including those in early middle college programs who take five years but leave high school with a diploma and an associate’s degree or other advanced certificate. The state also publishes five- and six-year graduation rates. 

It’s not clear yet how Michigan’s graduation rate compares nationally. During the 2022-23 school year, the national rate was 87%. A rate for the 2023-24 school year isn’t available.

Superintendents told Bridge Michigan and Chalkbeat they are providing students ways to recover learning or credit through after-school tutoring, virtual classes and summer school. They say these efforts are paying off based on improved graduation rates. 

How one district did it 

Ecorse Public Schools just outside Detroit had a four-year graduation rate of 74.81% in the 2023-24 school year, a jump of 14 percentage points from the 2022-23 school year, and nearly 8 percentage points higher than it was before the pandemic. 

For three years during the pandemic, many high school students at Ecorse attended tutoring sessions two days a week after school. That tutoring, which was mandatory for some, meant the school day was extended for two hours. Teachers were paid more to stay late, and the district provided transportation home for students, a key feature given many students are bused in from Detroit. Federal COVID relief money paid for that investment.

The gains, Ecorse Superintendent Josha Talison said, validate the work of the district’s staff, who “were really on the kids,” to make sure they were learning and getting the help they needed. Talison said the improvement also “shows how we spent the money in an effective way.”

The district over the years has overhauled its curriculum and instruction across all grades and subjects, working to increase academic rigor and support for students. 

“If you’re going to do things transformationally at the high school, it has to start at the kindergarten level,” Talison said.

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That federal money is now gone, and the district has focused its efforts on providing a “myriad of supports for our high school students” within the regular school day. 

The district enrolls 1,150 students, more than 80% of whom are eligible for a free or reduced-price lunch and 42% of whom live in extreme poverty.

“We’re working very hard to make sure our student’s zip code doesn’t dictate,” how well they can achieve, Talison said.

District highlights

Here’s what the rates looked like in several other Michigan districts:

• Airport Community Schools in Monroe County has a four-year graduation rate of 86.36%, up from 79.82% the previous year and similar to the 86.27% pre-pandemic rate. The dropout rate is 9.09%, compared to 16.06% the previous year and 6.01% pre-pandemic. 
• Detroit Public Schools Community District has a four-year graduation rate of 78.09%, up from 74.26% the previous year and 75.84% pre-pandemic. The district’s dropout rate is 16.15%, a slight decrease from the previous year but well above the pre-pandemic rate of 11.71%.
• Flint Community Schools has a four-year graduation rate of 44.55%, up from 35.03% the year before and well below the pre-pandemic rate of 64.85%. The district’s dropout rate has soared, to 33.66%, compared to the pre-pandemic rate of 19.8%. Last year, the dropout rate was 34.46%.
• Grand Rapids Public Schools has a four-year graduation rate of 82.53%, up from 82.39% the previous year and 76.2% pre-pandemic. The district’s dropout rate is 10.37%, up from 7.48% the previous year but in line with its pre-pandemic rate of 10.34%.
• Kalamazoo Public Schools has a four-year graduation rate of 75.31%, up from 65.85% the previous year and above the pre-pandemic rate of 73.44%. The dropout rate is 10.48%, down from 16.27% the previous year but up from 8.89% pre-pandemic.
• Marquette Area Public Schools has a four-year graduation rate of 91.22%, up from 87.4% the previous year and 84.48% pre-pandemic. The dropout rate of 1.15% is similar to the previous year and lower than the 4.14% pre-pandemic rate. 

Getting students ‘across that line’

The stakes are high. 

“In today’s world, if you don’t have a high school diploma, it’s just awfully hard to get ahead and not live in poverty,” Traverse City Area Public Schools Superintendent John VanWagoner said. 

His district offers traditional high school with an early middle college option and an alternative high school where students who have fallen behind on credits or  need a smaller learning environment attend. 

At the alternative high school, the district is trying to improve the graduation rates by offering online courses that allow students to take more than their typical courseload. The district also offers summer school and dual enrollment options where students can earn both college and high school credit at the same time. 

The alternative high school has a 25.64% four-year graduation rate and a 47.89% six-year graduation rate. The district graduation rates are 88.45% and 91.62%, respectively. 

VanWagoner said it’s important “now more than ever” to ensure staff is working to build relationships with students, citing that many are homeless.

At Lansing School District, Superintendent Ben Shuldiner credits teachers, principals and graduation support specialists for creating a sense of trust with students. He said the district’s 5.04% dropout rate — a significant drop from 17.35% in 2020-2021 school year — shows students are staying connected to their school even if they are unable to complete their degree in four years.

The district’s four year graduation rate is 88.34% up from 62.1% during the 2020-2021 school year. 

Bridge Michigan previously reported that Lansing district leaders monitor student data closely, have protocols for following up with students and parents when students miss school, and offer multiple ways for students to make up missing credits. 

For VanWagoner in Traverse City, the goal is “get kids across that line and with some additional experiences” as employers’ jobs demand more skills than a high school diploma represents. 

Role of career, other education programs

State Superintendent Michael Rice credited career technical education and other programs as reasons for the increased graduation rate.  

“These rigorous secondary school programs — CTE, dual enrollment, early middle college, advanced placement, and international baccalaureate — contribute to improved graduation rates by engaging students deeply in learning,” Rice said in a statement. “When students are exposed to courses of study that interest them, they are more likely to graduate — and at the same time are preparing for rewarding careers.”

Not all students have the same rate of success. The four-year rate for students from low-income homes is 73.12%, students with disabilities 60.97% and 59.53% for students experiencing homelessness.

Graduation and dropout rates do not add up to 100% because the state also considers students who receive a special education certificate of completion, earn a different certification, age out of special education services, complete a GED and those who are still in school working towards a high school diploma, according to an explanation of the cohort model from the state Center for Educational Performance and Information.