Alabama’s high school graduation rates continue to rebound from the pandemic-era slump, with nearly 92% of the class of 2024 graduating on time.
Statewide or by student groups, many are seeing their best outcomes in years.
For example, Alabama’s dropout rate has fallen to its lowest point since the state began following federal guidelines for how to calculate graduation rates, with especially strong improvements among Hispanic students and those learning English.
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Some groups — including students in poverty, those with disabilities, and students experiencing homelessness — are graduating at their highest rates ever.
The gap between male and female students continues to narrow, and while racial disparities persist, several groups are approaching or exceeding pre-pandemic graduation levels.
“We’re generally seeing improvement in multiple areas across the board,” state superintendent Eric Mackey told Alabama Daily News.
After digging into the graduation data by region, school size and student group, Mackey said he feels better about the numbers than he did at first glance.
“Overall, I feel really good about it,” he said.
He added that where rates still aren’t where they should be, the department has a good handle on what’s behind it and how to move forward. At the same time, Mackey said he wants to make sure that progress doesn’t come at the expense of academic rigor.
“I’m still concerned that we make sure that every student’s diploma means something,” he said. “And so we want to continue to work on that to make sure that when students graduate, they’re ready for the next step in life.”
What it takes to count as a graduate
Graduation requirements are changing for the upcoming class of 2026, but for the classes of 2024 and 2025, requirements include 24 credits via the typical four-by-four curricula: Four credits — each year counts as one credit — in English language arts, math, science and social studies. Students need an additional eight credits – including one P.E., one career preparedness course and a half-year of health.
The class of 2026 – the coming year’s seniors – have two pathways to graduation, Option A and Option B, but they still need 24 credits to graduate.
Option A is the same as it was for 2024 and 2025 — the four-by-four curriculum plus eight additional credits — but Option B is brand new.
Option B is the workforce pathway diploma, a way for students who aren’t heading to college to shift math and science pathways as a junior and substitute career tech courses with real-world application to careers. That means a graduate pursuing Option B needs only two credits in math and two credits in science.
What happened to the Class of 2024?
Of the 52,500 students in the Class of 2024, 48,067 graduated on time, which is defined as graduating four years after entering the ninth grade. The state tracks more than graduates, though. Data is also available for students who remained enrolled, dropped out, withdrew to attend another school somewhere other than public school or completed high school but didn’t meet federal requirements to count as a graduate.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Trisha Powell Crain and originally published by Alabama Daily News.
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