High school graduation rates rise as absences fall in California
California high school graduation rates and other indicators of success are slowly but steadily improving according to new data released by the state Department of Education.
More graduates are leaving high school ready for college or careers, and fewer students are classified as chronically absent.
About 87.5% of California seniors graduated in the 2024-25 school year, up 1% from the previous year. State officials are boasting more significant progress among specific student groups — graduation rates among Pacific Islander students increased by 4% and African Americans by 3.5%. English learners, foster youth and students with disabilities all saw higher rates of improvement than the state average.
Chronic absenteeism, or the number of students missing at least 10% of school days, has continued to trend downward from an all-time high of 30% in 2022. About 17% of students were chronically absent last school year, representing a slight downward change by one percentage point over the previous year.
Just more than half of California students are now considered ready for postsecondary success by graduation, marking a three percentage point improvement over the year before. College and career readiness is assessed by several measures, including meeting University of California and California State University requirements, completing a career technical education pathway and taking courses for college credit.
For the first time since its inception, all metrics on the state’s educational accountability system, the California School Dashboard, indicate improvement.
“Today’s dashboard results show California continuing to make important strides in post-pandemic recovery — we’re getting more students re-engaged in the classroom, graduating students in greater numbers, and getting more of them prepared for college and careers,” said California State Board of Education President Linda Darling-Hammond.
Gov. Gavin Newsom credits these indicators of progress and this year’s modest improvement in academic performance to the state’s prioritization of funds for K-12 education, pointing to investments in universal transitional kindergarten, school literacy programs and free meals for all public school students.
“The more we can invest time, energy, and resources into our kids, the better their future can be,” Newsom said in a statement. “Whether that future consists of college or jumping right into our state’s workforce, we are going to continue our shared commitment to ensuring students and educators have the resources they need to be successful and pursue their California Dream.”
Statewide test results in English, math and science released in October showed incremental progress overall, however, academic success still lags behind pre-pandemic achievement levels. Students in the 2024-25 school year met or exceeded state standards at a rate of 48% in English and 37% in math, leaving significant room for improvement among most demographics.
This story was originally published November 13, 2025 at 10:01 AM.
