Four lessons from best-ever Minnesota High School Graduation Rates

The following column, with localized information, originally was published in late May, 2025 in among others, the Dakota County Times,   Monticello Times Stillwater Gazette, MilleLacs Messenger,  Sun Current, Sun Post, Sun Sailor,  Sun This Week,  Union Times and Caledonia Argus.

Localized information appeared in a number of the columns.  The localized information is found at the end of the column.

These are all part of the APG of East Central Minnesota newspaper group.

 

                           Four lessons from best-ever Minnesota high school graduation rates

There’s good news and several lessons from the May 7 release of historically elevated Minnesota high school graduation rates. Minnesota Department of Education Commissioner Willie Jett released information showing that the 2024 high school class showed the highest ever graduation rate – 84.2%. Data also showed that graduation gaps are closing among various groups. This is good news.

The first lesson is that many young people are more resilient than some have acknowledged.  Coming out of the COVID pandemic, some people generalized young people as depressed, unmotivated and disinterested. While this accurately describes some youngsters, as Jett noted in a press release, “The students of the Class of 2024 worked hard and overcame challenges to achieve this milestone.” Let’s give them credit for this.

Second, many people worked skillfully with youngsters to achieve these results. As Jett pointed out, “I am also grateful for the educators, families and communities who stood behind these graduates and supported their needs and encouraged their successes. Their achievement is evidence that investing in kids pays off.” As I work with and learn from educators and community members, it’s very encouraging to see the number of partnerships developing to help young people explore their interests and use their creativity to make a positive difference. These efforts help make many students more interested in school and more likely to graduate.

Third, the growing number of public school options has helped many youngsters succeed.  Minnesota legislators have wisely allowed the creation not only of medium to large traditional high schools, but also alternative district programs and charter public schools. In many communities, options have helped increase graduation rates.

Here are some of the most dramatic examples of schools that made progress from 2020-24 with students who struggled in larger traditional high schools:

• Ivan Sands Community School (an alternative district school) in Elk River, which increased its graduation rate from 21 to 26%.
• Monticello’s Alternative Program increased its graduation rate from 17 to 41%.
• Northwest Passage High School (a charter school in Coon Rapids) increased its graduation rate from 27 to 50%.
  Paladin Career and Technical Academy (a charter school in Coon Rapids) increased its graduation rate from 37 to 51%.

Those interested in graduation results and trends in local and nearby high schools can check the Minnesota Department of Education School Report website. It’s here.   Also,  MDE’s summary data is here.

Finally, we need more accurate assessments of students’ skills and knowledge. There’s a problem with our current statewide testing program for high school students. Unlike a driver’s exam, which youngsters must pass to get their license, students don’t have to pass statewide reading or math tests to graduate. So some young people “opt out,” and some don’t regard the tests as something they must pass. Statewide tests currently also measure only a small amount of what students know.
Fortunately, the University of Minnesota’s Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement, CAREI, has produced practical recommendations assessing what students know and can do. I’ll write more about their suggestions in a future column. Their reports are found here.

 

Bottom line – Congratulations and thanks to the many students, educators, families, and community partners who helped produce these historic outcomes. Yes, there’s more to do – and always will be. But we also should be very pleased with the progress.

 

Joe Nathan, PhD, has been a Minnesota public school educator, PTA president and founder of, Center for School Change; reactions welcome, joe@centerforschoolchange.org.

 

LOCAL INSERTS: (rounding up in most cases to the nearest percent)

ANOKA-Hennepin

MDE figures show that between the school year ending in 2020 and in 2024:

• Anoka High School increased its graduation rate from 89 to 90%.
• Alternative and charter public schools, serving youngsters who often have not succeeded in traditional high schools showed significant improvements.
• Anoka Technical High School increased its graduation rate from 10 to 26%.
• Northwest Passage High School (a charter) increased its graduation rate from 27 to 50%.
• Paladin Career and Technical High School increased its graduation rate from 37 to 51%.

Burnsville

Burnsville High School’s graduation rate declined from 85% to 80% from 2020 to 2024.

Burnsville Alternative High School’s graduation rate increased from 34% to  58% in 2024.

Bloomington

Jefferson High School’s graduation rate went from 87.7% to 87.6% from 2020 to 2024.

Kennedy High School’s graduation rate declined slightly from an 81.5% to an 80.1% from 2020 to 2024.

Caledonia

Caledonia High School moved from a 93.2 percentage graduation rate in 2020 to a 98.5 graduation rate in 2024.  This was the highest graduation rate of any of the more than 35 suburban and greater Minnesota district public schools reviewed as part of this column

Cambridge-Isanti 
Braham Area Secondary School increased its graduation rate from 82% in 2022 to 87% in 2024.

Cambridge-Isanti High School maintained an 85% graduation rate from 2022 to 2024.

Both are above the state-wide graduation rate of 84.2%.

Edina

Edina High School increased from a 94.3 to a 94.5% graduation rate from 2020 to 2024.

Elk River/Rogers/Zimmerman

Elk River High School increased its graduation rate from 89% in 2022 to 90% in 2024.

Rogers High School had a graduation rate of 96% in 2022 and 2024.

Zimmerman High School went from a 92% to 91% graduation rate from 2022 to 2024.

Spectrum High School, a charter public school, went from just below to just above 96%

graduation rate from 2022 to 2024.

All of these are above the statewide graduation rate of 84.2%.

Ivan Sands Community School, serving youngsters with whom traditional schools have not succeeded, increased its graduation rate from 21% to 26% from 2022 to 2024.

FARMINGTON

The Farmington High School graduation rate moved from 92.4% in 2020 to 91.5 in 2024

 

FOREST LAKE 

Forest Lake High School had one of the state’s most dramatic increases in high school graduation rates. It increased from 88% to 94% graduation rate from 2020 to 2024.

Lakes International High School (a charter) maintained a 94% graduation rate from 2020 to 2024.
Both are well above the state’s high school average of 84.2%.

FRIDLEY

Fridley Senior High School’s graduation rates  went from a 93% to 92.5% from 2020 to 2024.
Fridley Moore Lake Area Learning Center increased its graduation rate from 50% to 54% from 2020 to 2024.

HOPKINS

Hopkins High School’s graduation rate declined from 93.4% to 85.6% from 2020-2024.

LAKEVILLE

Lakeville North’s graduation rate moved from a 97.8% to a 96% from 2020 to 2024.

Lakeville South moved from a 95.4% to 93.3% from 2020 to 2024.

Both are well above at the state graduation rate of 84.2%.

LITTLE FALLS

Little Falls Area High School increased its graduation rate from 88% to 89% from 2022 to 2024.

Royalton increased its graduation rate from 92% to 93% from 2020 to 2024.

Upsala maintained a 97% graduation rate from 2020 to 2024.

Each of them is well above the statewide graduation rate of 84%.

MINNETONKA

Minnetonka High School’s graduation rate declined slightly from 97.7% to 96.9% from 2020 to 2024.

 

MONTICELLO

Monticello High School’s graduation rate increased from 94% to 95% from 2020 to 2024.

Monticello’s Alternative Program increased its graduation rate from 17% to 41% over the same period.

 

NORTH BRANCH

North Branch increased its graduation rate from 86% to 89% from 2020 to 2024.

 

OSSEO

Maple Grove Senior High School’s graduation rate went from a 94.3% to a 94.9% from 2020-2024.

Osseo Senior High went from 87.3% to 87.1% graduation rate from 2020 to 2024.

Park Center IB World School went from 82.2% to 81.9% graduation rate from 2020 to 2024.

 

ROSEMOUNT APPLE VALLEY EAGAN

Apple Valley High School’s graduation rate declined slightly from a 90% to 88% from 2020 to 2024.

Eagan High School maintained a 92% graduation rate from 2020 to 2024.

Rosemount High School increased its graduation rate from just under to just over 84% from 2020 to 2024.
School of Environmental Studies graduation rate declined slightly from 93% to 91% from 2020 to 2024.
Rosemount Area Learning Center, serving students who were not successful in large district high schools, increased its graduation rate from 31% to 43% from 2020 to 2024.

ST. LOUIS PARK

St. Louis Park High School went from a 92.3% graduation rate in 2020 to an 83.1% graduation rate in 2024.

SPRING LAKE PARK

Spring Lake Park Senior High School went from 78% to 85% from 2020-2024.

STILLWATER

Stillwater Area High School’s graduation rate went from 96.6% to 95.2% from 2020 to 2024.

St Croix Preparatory Academy went from a 97.7% to a 92.2% from 2020 to 2024.
New Heights went from an 81.8% in 2020 to a 78.6% in 2024.

WAYZATA

Wayzata High School’s graduation rate went from 96.9% to 96.4% from 2020 to 2024.