ST. PAUL 鈥� High school graduation rates climbed slightly last year in Minnesota after dipping in 2021, according to new data from the state education department.
Four-year graduation rates for Minnesota high school seniors rose to 83.6% in 2022, a 0.2% gain from the year before, the Department of Education reported Tuesday, April 25. With that gain, the state is close to reaching pre-pandemic levels once again.
ADVERTISEMENT
Last year鈥檚 gains were dominated by Black and Native American students and students who identify as more than one race, according to the new data.
鈥淲e celebrate this significant milestone and also recognize that there is still much to be done,鈥� Education Commissioner Willie Jett said in a news release. 鈥淲orking together, we will ensure that every student graduates from high school equipped with the tools and knowledge necessary for a successful future.鈥�
Before the pandemic, graduation rates had been growing in Minnesota since 2016, when the state reported a rate of 82.5%. By 2020, the rate had reached a record high of 83.8%.
But the shift to hybrid and remote learning coincided with a half-percent drop in graduation rates. The rate drop for 2021 was driven by a .3% increase in the dropout rate, and .2% was due to causes unknown to state education officials.
鈥淭he 2021-22 school year was the second full school year impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,鈥� the education department said in a news release announcing the data. 鈥淪tudents graduating in 2022 were in 10th grade when the pandemic started and their 11th grade year was their most heavily impacted year as schools switched to new ways of learning.鈥�
The biggest gain in graduation rates this year was among Black students, That student group saw a 3.1% growth in four-year graduation rates, reaching 73.51%. Two or more races saw 2.9% gain, reaching 79.2%. Native American students saw a gain of 2.5%, reaching 61.1%
Minnesota has among the largest racial and income-based educational achievement gaps in the U.S., with higher-income white students much more likely to perform better than others, according to a 2019 survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. The graduation for white students is 88.5%.
ADVERTISEMENT
While graduation rates are climbing once again, the pandemic-era decline in student achievement shows in recent assessments of Minnesota students. According to 2022 statewide tests, fewer than half of Minnesota students who took state standardized tests were proficient in math and science.
In 2019, 55% of Minnesota students were proficient in math. In 2022 that had dropped to 44.8%. Reading proficiency, meanwhile, continued a downward trend from 59.2% in 2019 to 51.1% in 2022. Science proficiency also remains significantly lower than it was in 2019.
The spring 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress showed Minnesota fourth- and eighth-graders鈥� math scores had also plummeted, matching national trends.
Jett, an appointee of Gov. Tim Walz, used the news of this year's graduation rates to promote the governor鈥檚 plan to boost education spending significantly. That budget would tie education funding to inflation and help schools pay for special education and English as a second language instruction.
Follow Alex Derosier on Twitter or email aderosier@forumcomm.com .
The Trust Project
