The Department released the first set of graduation rates for the 2006 cohort in the winter of 2007. Reporting graduation rates is required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and by a National Governors Association compact that Massachusetts has signed. Prior to 2006, graduation rates could only be estimated from annual dropout data or from grade level enrollment information. Starting with 2006, the Department is able to track an individual cohort, or group of students, from the initial entrance into 9th grade through to graduation with student-level data from the state's Student Information Management System (SIMS).
State Graduation Rate Trends
2021 4-yr Report
2019 4-yr Report
2018 5-yr Report
2018 4-yr Report
2017 5-yr Report
2017 4-yr Report
2016 5-yr Report
2016 4-yr Report
2015 5-yr Report
2015 4-yr Report
2014 5-yr Report
2014 4-yr Report
2013 5-yr Report
2013 4-yr Report
2012 5-yr Report
2012 4-yr Report
2011 5-yr Report
2011 4-yr Report
2010 5-yr Report
2010 4-yr Report
2009 5-yr Report
2009 4-yr Report
2008 5-yr Report
2008 4-yr Cohort
2007 5-yr Cohort
2007 4-yr Cohort
2006 5-yr Cohort
2006 Cohort
Graduation Rates for all High Schools and Districts
Frequently Asked QuestionsFrequently asked questions and answers about Graduations Rates.
Annual Dropout Rate vs. Cohort Graduation RateThe definitions of dropout rates and graduation rates and an explanation of the differences between the two.
Last Updated: February 17, 2022