This browser does not support the Video element.
Minnesota reporting record high graduation numbers
Minnesota has recording high high school graduation numbers. FOX 9's Corin Hoggard explains why.
(FOX 9) - Minnesota students are graduating high school on time at record rates, but there are questions about what those diplomas actually mean.
Graduation rates hit new highs across Minnesota
What we know:
The four-year graduation rate for Minnesota students reached 84.9%, the highest ever recorded, according to state education officials.
In St. Paul, the graduation rate was about 78%, which is also close to a record for the district.
"Minnesota graduation rates, once again, broke a record for the highest percentage of students graduating at 84.9%," Willie Jett, Minnesota Education Commissioner, told FOX 9.
Public schools across the state saw a surge in graduates in 2024, and the trend continued in 2025. The increase follows more than a decade of steady improvement, with only a slight dip during the pandemic.
Concerns about diploma value and student skills
The other side:
Some policy experts warn that high graduation rates may not tell the whole story.
"While high school graduation is an important milestone, there is concern that too many students are being sent out of the system with a piece of paper and deficient skills for what they want to pursue next," Catrin Wigfall, a policy analyst at the Center for the American Experiment, told FOX 9.
Standardized test scores, including the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment and ACT scores, have dropped since the pandemic and have not rebounded.
While Minnesota’s ACT scores have fallen more slowly than the national average, the decline has raised concerns about academic readiness.
Dr. Adam Kunz, St. Paul Public Schools assistant superintendent, pushed back on the idea that diplomas are being handed out too easily.
"To say that they give anything away is not true," said Kunz.
Educators say the focus now is on preparing students for a range of options after high school, from college to vocational training.
They are also giving students more opportunities to demonstrate what they have learned.
"It’s not that failure isn’t an option, but teachers teach in a way that you’re going to keep trying until you can show proficiency within the term. And that’s made a really profound impact on learning," said Kunz.
Looking ahead as disruptions continue
What's next:
One thing to watch is how recent disruptions — including the pandemic and Operation Metro Surge — might affect graduation rates and test scores in coming years.
St. Paul schools and others in the metro area could see the impact show up in future results.
"A student in the eighth grade experienced a pandemic and now Metro Surge. And so those are two big shocks and disruptions to both academics and a student's social-emotional state that will continue having an impact," Commissioner Jett said.