Educational Attainment By State

High School Completion Rate
High School Completion Rate
1.MontanaMontana94.0%
2.WyomingWyoming93.6%
3.VermontVermont93.5%
4.MinnesotaMinnesota93.4%
5.New HampshireNew Hampshire93.3%
6.MaineMaine93.2%
7.AlaskaAlaska93.1%
8.North DakotaNorth Dakota93.1%
9.UtahUtah93.0%
10.WisconsinWisconsin92.6%
11.HawaiiHawaii92.5%
12.IowaIowa92.5%
13.South DakotaSouth Dakota92.2%
14.ColoradoColorado92.1%
15.WashingtonWashington91.7%
16.NebraskaNebraska91.6%
17.KansasKansas91.4%
18.IdahoIdaho91.3%
19.MichiganMichigan91.3%
20.MassachusettsMassachusetts91.1%
21.OregonOregon91.1%
22.PennsylvaniaPennsylvania91.0%
23.ConnecticutConnecticut90.9%
24.OhioOhio90.8%
25.DelawareDelaware90.6%
26.MarylandMaryland90.6%
27.MissouriMissouri90.6%
28.New JerseyNew Jersey90.3%
29.VirginiaVirginia90.3%
30.IllinoisIllinois89.7%
31.IndianaIndiana89.3%
32.Rhode IslandRhode Island89.2%
33.OklahomaOklahoma88.6%
34.FloridaFlorida88.5%
35.North CarolinaNorth Carolina88.5%
36.South CarolinaSouth Carolina88.3%
37.TennesseeTennessee88.2%
38.ArizonaArizona87.9%
39.GeorgiaGeorgia87.9%
40.West VirginiaWest Virginia87.6%
41.ArkansasArkansas87.2%
42.KentuckyKentucky87.2%
43.New YorkNew York87.2%
44.AlabamaAlabama86.9%
45.NevadaNevada86.9%
46.New MexicoNew Mexico86.5%
47.LouisianaLouisiana85.9%
48.MississippiMississippi85.3%
49.TexasTexas84.4%
50.CaliforniaCalifornia83.9%
Share

Decoding Educational Attainment by State

Educational attainment continues to serve as a pivotal driver of development, economic growth, and social dynamism across the globe. Every progressive nation channels considerable efforts towards achieving higher educational standards, with the United States striving tirelessly to elevate its nationwide attainment. According to the Global Partnership for Education, education doesn't just shape individual lives - it is key to combating inequality, promoting gender equality, and bolstering sustainable economic progress. However, the rate of high school completion varies significantly across different states within the US. Diverse socio-economic realities, urban-rural bifurcations, and several individual factors contribute to these discrepancies.

  • The states leading in high school completion are predominantly located in the Northern and Western parts of the country. Montana tops the list with an impressive 94.0% completion rate, immediately followed by Wyoming, Vermont, Minnesota, and New Hampshire, whose completion rates hover above 93%.
  • Interestingly, states in the Southern and Western regions, along with some East Coast states, fare poorly in comparison. The three states with the lowest high school completion rates are Texas (84.4%), California (83.9%), and Mississippi (85.3%).
  • The data also reveals a fairly high median high school completion rate of 90.8%. This suggests that across the board, a significant majority of US states have robust public education systems that successfully shepherd students through high school education.
  • The top ten states hover within a thin margin of only 1% difference in their high school completion rates, indicating a closely contested educational attainment level among these states. Similarly, the bottom ten states also display a tightly packed range, underlining the shared challenges faced by these states.

By Region

Alabama

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Alabama

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

86.9%

#44

Alaska

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Alaska

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

93.1%

#7

Arizona

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Arizona

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

87.9%

#38

Arkansas

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Arkansas

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

87.2%

#41

California

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California

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

83.9%

#50

Colorado

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Colorado

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

92.1%

#14

Connecticut

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Connecticut

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

90.9%

#23

Delaware

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Delaware

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

90.6%

#25

Florida

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Florida

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

88.5%

#34

Georgia

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Georgia

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

87.9%

#39

Hawaii

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Hawaii

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

92.5%

#11

Idaho

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Idaho

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

91.3%

#18

Illinois

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Illinois

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

89.7%

#30

Indiana

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Indiana

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

89.3%

#31

Iowa

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Iowa

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

92.5%

#12

Kansas

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Kansas

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

91.4%

#17

Kentucky

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Kentucky

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

87.2%

#42

Louisiana

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Louisiana

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

85.9%

#47

Maine

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Maine

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

93.2%

#6

Maryland

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Maryland

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

90.6%

#26

Massachusetts

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Massachusetts

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

91.1%

#20

Michigan

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Michigan

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

91.3%

#19

Minnesota

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Minnesota

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

93.4%

#4

Mississippi

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Mississippi

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

85.3%

#48

Missouri

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Missouri

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

90.6%

#27

Montana

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Montana

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

94.0%

#1

Nebraska

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Nebraska

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

91.6%

#16

Nevada

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Nevada

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

86.9%

#45

New Hampshire

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New Hampshire

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

93.3%

#5

New Jersey

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New Jersey

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

90.3%

#28

New Mexico

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New Mexico

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

86.5%

#46

New York

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New York

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

87.2%

#43

North Carolina

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North Carolina

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

88.5%

#35

North Dakota

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North Dakota

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

93.1%

#8

Ohio

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Ohio

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

90.8%

#24

Oklahoma

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Oklahoma

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

88.6%

#33

Oregon

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Oregon

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

91.1%

#21

Pennsylvania

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Pennsylvania

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

91.0%

#22

Rhode Island

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Rhode Island

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

89.2%

#32

South Carolina

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South Carolina

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

88.3%

#36

South Dakota

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South Dakota

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

92.2%

#13

Tennessee

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Tennessee

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

88.2%

#37

Texas

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Texas

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

84.4%

#49

Utah

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Utah

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

93.0%

#9

Vermont

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Vermont

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

93.5%

#3

Virginia

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Virginia

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

90.3%

#29

Washington

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Washington

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

91.7%

#15

West Virginia

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West Virginia

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

87.6%

#40

Wisconsin

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Wisconsin

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

92.6%

#10

Wyoming

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Wyoming

Metric

Value

Rank

High School Completion Rate

93.6%

#2

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High School Graduation Rates By State

High School Graduation Rates By State

Least Educated States

Least Educated States

Literacy Rate By Country

Literacy Rate By Country

Literacy Rate By State

Literacy Rate By State

Most Educated Countries

Most Educated Countries

Most Educated States

Most Educated States