Gov. Whitmer & Michigan Department of Education Announce Michigan’s High School Graduation Rate Reaches Another Record High

February 20, 2026 

Contact: Bob Wheaton, Director of Public and Governmental Affairs, 517-241-4395 

                Ken Coleman, Department Spokesperson, 517-241-4395

Gov. Whitmer & Michigan Department of Education Announce Michigan’s High School Graduation Rate Reaches Another Record High 

LANSING, Mich. – Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) announced that Michigan’s 2025 four-year graduation rate once again improved to the highest level since the state adopted the federal formula for calculating the rate in 2008, according to data released today.  

“I know how much hard work students and parents do to walk across the stage and receive a high school diploma,” said Governor Whitmer. “That’s why I’m proud to announce Michigan’s graduation rate has risen to 84%. Since I took office, we’ve made record investments in education, from helping schools buy the latest textbooks and technology to delivering free breakfast and lunch to all 1.4 million public school students. Let’s keep working together to boost Michigan’s graduation rate and help every young person ‘make it’ in Michigan.” 

“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 Dr. Glenn Maleyko. “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 graduation rate increased to just over 84%, up by 1.2 percentage points from 82.8% the previous year. The 2024 rate had been a record-high until the 2025 data released today by the Michigan Center for Educational Performance and Information (CEPI).Michigan’s four-year dropout rate improved to 7.1%, down from 7.7% in the previous year. The five-year graduation rate improved by nearly 1 percentage point, to 85.8%. 

The new data represent progress toward Goal 5 in Michigan’s Top 10 Strategic Education Plan, to increase the percentage of all students who graduate from high school. 

Rigorous secondary school programs in Michigan such as Career and Technical Education have contributed to the improved graduation rate. These programs are the focus of Goal 4, to expand secondary learning opportunities. Career and Technical Education programs provide students with opportunities to experience work-based learning in career paths such as skilled trades, agriculture, public safety, information technology, and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, among many others. 

The other rigorous secondary school programs are dual enrollment, which allows students to earn college credit while in high school; Early Middle College, which provides for high school students to enroll in and complete a college program of study while in high school; advanced placement courses, college-level classes taken in high school; and International Baccalaureate, which provides a rigorous international education.  

All these programs have experienced enrollment increases in recent years and some have reached record highs. 

Michigan’s four-year graduation rate increased for 14 of 17 student groups. The largest rate increases were for homeless students (4.6 percentage points), military-connected students (3.8 percentage points), African American students (2.6 percentage points), economically disadvantaged students (1.5 percentage points), and Hispanic/Latino students (1 percentage point).  

Local Efforts Driving Success  

Progress in graduation rates is driven at the local level, where schools and partners work together to ensure every student has the support needed to succeed.  

Of the largest 20 districts in the state, 16 saw increases in graduation rates. On average, these 20 districts saw an increase of more than 1.4% in their graduation rates. Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) had the largest increase among these 20 districts, with a 5.1% increase. This follows increase of 3.8% and 3.2% in the past two years.  

Of these 20 largest districts, Troy School District had the highest graduation rate, at 98.3%. This district had the highest four-year graduation rate in the prior year as well. 

“This is the highest graduation rate in the history of this district,” said DPSCD Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti. “Our teachers, counselors, principals, and staff knew we could do better and put in the work every day to get us here. Four years ago, we were at 64.5%. Today we are within less than a percentage point of the state average. That did not happen by accident. We were intentional about building a stronger system of support around our high school students. This included advanced data tracking systems, more course recovery, additional counselors and mental health intervention for neighborhood high schools. We still haven’t completely arrived where students need us to be as a district but we are certainly making historic strides! I am proud of our students, their families, and our staff.” 

State-level Initiatives Contributing to Improvement State-level efforts to support raising graduation rates include:  

• Graduation Guidance documents from the Michigan Department of Education. The documents offer evidence-based strategies, practical tools and systemic approaches to help school leaders create supportive learning environments.  

• An early intervention dropout prevention program, called the Early Warning Intervention and Monitoring System, which is made available to schools by MDE. The system is a seven-step process of examining data and making decisions about what supports and interventions will help students get back on track for graduation and success.  

• Personal curriculum. Personal curriculum allows students to customize their learning by taking courses aligned with their interests and future educational or career goals, while still meeting the Michigan Merit Curriculum graduation requirements. During the 2024-25 school year, 13,315 Michigan students had a personal curriculum, which represented 2.9% of students. That’s up from 10,627 students, or 2.2% of students, five years earlier.  

Graduation and dropout rates can be found on CEPI’s MI School Data website. A bureau within the State Budget Office, CEPI facilitates collecting, managing, and reporting public education data required by state and federal law. CEPI’s MI School Data website is Michigan's official education data portal to help residents, educators, and policymakers make informed decisions that can lead to improved success for our students. 

Investing in Students from PreK through Postsecondary Education 

Since taking office, the Whitmer-Gilchrist administration has made historic investments in students, educators, and schools.  

• Expanded access to free pre-K for all four-year-olds, offering students a strong academic foundation while saving parents $14,000 a year. 

• Raised per-student funding to record highs year after year, ensuring kids have access to newer books, technology, and other classroom essentials to help them thrive.  

• Established and funded teacher recruitment, retention, and training programs to create a strong pipeline of skilled educators for every classroom in Michigan. 

• Made school breakfast and lunch free for all 1.4 million public school students and forgave all school meal debt. Ensures students can focus on learning at school and saves parents around $1,000 a year, per kid and valuable time every morning. 

• Tripled literacy coaches in schools to help improve literacy instruction and ensure every child can read by third grade. Proposed the largest one-time literacy investment in Michigan history in the FY2027 executive budget recommendation. 

• Made community college tuition-free for all high school graduates at their local community college. 

• Established Michigan Reconnect, offering a tuition-free path to an associate’s degree or skills training certificate to any Michigander 25 and older. Proposing to permanently lower the age of eligibility down to 21 in FY2027 budget, opening Reconnect up to more Michiganders. 

• Signed bipartisan legislation requiring all high school students to take a personal financial literacy class to graduate. 

• Signed bipartisan legislation limiting phone use during class time, with a goal of improving student focus, mental health, and academic performance. 

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