2019 Cohort Graduation Data

Today, the State Education Department released graduation data for the 2019 Cohort, who are students who entered grade 9 in 2019 and graduated by August 2023.

The 2019 Cohort is comprised of students who entered high school in 2019 and saw their school year disrupted in significant and distinct ways due to the COVID pandemic. Consistent with national trends, New York’s graduation rate, while remaining relatively flat, saw a slight decrease from 87.0% to 86.4%. What’s encouraging is that the percentage of students still enrolled in school increased 0.5 percentage points over last year, which means that, despite historical disruptions for nearly half of their high school career, these students are still engaged in their educational pursuits, and may account for the slight decrease in graduation rate. 

The State’s graduation rate has increased by 7.3 percentage points in the last ten years, from 79.1% for the 2010 cohort to 86.4% for the 2019 cohort. Despite this trajectory, additional work must be done to improve outcomes for all students, especially our most vulnerable populations. Our goal is to enable schools to provide different levels of support to each student based on what they need to be successful. The Department remains committed to removing barriers to opportunity for students and providing a foundation for educational excellence and equity to serve New York’s diverse student population. To that end, the Blue Ribbon Commission on Graduation Measures created a roadmap for learning-centered education that best meets the needs of every student in New York State. The recommendations will help us create a more inclusive learning environment while maintaining rigor and enhancing critical thinking skills, putting all students on a trajectory for success and ensuring they’re prepared for college, career, and civic readiness in the 21st Century and beyond. The Department is currently working to develop proposed guidance and programmatic and regulatory changes to address the goals and priorities of the Regents related to this initiative.

Specific data points and school- and district-level graduation data are available on the Department’s public data website. Thank you!