New York City’s Graduation Rate Declines Significantly
New York City’s graduation rate has experienced its most substantial year-over-year drop in over two decades, according to the latest figures from the Department of Education.
This year, around 81.2% of students, equating to 58,660, are expected to graduate in the 2024-2025 school year. This is a stark contrast to 83.3%, or 57,353 students, from the previous year.
This kind of drop hasn’t been seen since the 2004-2005 school year, when the rate dipped by 1.1% compared to the year before.
Students in the city are faring worse than their peers across the state, where the graduation rate stands at 85.5%, albeit down by 1% from last year.
Interestingly, while fewer students are graduating, there’s also an uptick in dropouts. This year, 5.2% of students—about 3,788—left school, compared to 4.7% the previous year.
The DOE has linked this decline in graduation rates to a decrease in the number of students receiving Regents exemptions, which allows some students to graduate without passing all required state tests. To earn a diploma, students typically need to achieve a score of 65 or above on five Regents exams.
During the pandemic, specifically in June and August 2020, Regents courses were canceled. As a result, students were exempted if they had completed their courses. However, the criteria for these exemptions have tightened in subsequent years.
In fact, only 53.3% of the Class of 2024 was granted Regents exemptions, a stark reduction from 13.9% of the Class of 2025.
The DOE asserted its commitment to enhancing educational quality and supporting students, particularly those with disabilities and English language learners, to ensure they have equitable access to robust instruction and a clear path to graduation.
Moreover, the graduation rate for students with disabilities over four years decreased by 5.5 percentage points to 59%, while it fell by 3 percentage points to 51% for English language learners.
These outcomes come during a time when the city is grappling with an enrollment crisis, as recent data indicates a loss of 22,000 students, marking the largest decrease in four years for the 2025-2026 school year.
Despite improvements in standardized test scores among New York City students, nearly 40% still did not meet proficiency in reading and math.
