(The Center Square) – Minnesota high school graduation rates hit a record high for the second straight year, even as test scores show little recovery from pandemic-era learning loss.
New data from the Minnesota Department of Education shows the class of 2025 recorded a four-year graduation rate of 84.9%, the highest in recorded state history and an increase of 0.7% from the previous year’s record.
Gov. Tim Walz praised the milestone, pointing to investments in schools and student support systems.
“This is a moment worth celebrating,” Walz said, adding that students earning diplomas are better positioned for careers and higher education.
Graduation rates increased across nearly every student group, with some of the largest gains among American Indian students, whose rate rose nearly 5% from last year and 9% since 2021. State officials also said this is due to pointed investments by Minnesota.
“This represents real momentum and reflects intentional investments in education,” said Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.
State officials credited the “historic” gains to policies such as universal school meals, expanded mental health resources, increased teacher pay and the state’s child tax credit.
Education Commissioner Willie Jett said that more work still needs to be done.
“Our students are succeeding and leaving school prepared for career, college, and citizenship at record rates,” Jett said. “While there is still more to accomplish, it is clear our schools continue making gains in closing achievement gaps and ensuring every student of every background, zip code, and ability can thrive both in and out of school.”
The upward trend in graduation rates follows more than a decade of steady improvement, with only a slight dip during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But academic performance tells a different story.
State assessment data shows reading and math scores have largely stagnated since testing resumed in 2022 (following a pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic), with little improvement through 2025.
A recent analysis of district-level data found fewer than one in eight Minnesota school districts have returned to pre-pandemic proficiency levels in either reading or math. Those districts account for less than 4% of students statewide and are primarily smaller systems.
Among larger districts – those with at least 1,000 students – just six have met or exceeded their 2019 proficiency rates in either reading or math.
Additionally, 36% of Minnesota high school students taking the ACT met zero of the test’s four college-readiness benchmarks.
That gap is drawing increasing scrutiny from policy groups and lawmakers.
Catrin Wigfall, a policy fellow at the Minnesota-based Center of the American Experiment, recently published an analysis of the state’s education system, calling record-high graduation rates a “false sense of achievement.”
“It’s a tale of two stats: a record-high graduation rate paired with declining academic readiness,” she said. “While rising high school graduation rates are a positive goal, it is equally important that a diploma reflects genuine academic readiness and that its value is not compromised in the pursuit of these higher numbers.”
