Graduation Rate Improves For Howard County Public Schools

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — The class of 2024 from the Howard County Public School System achieved a graduation rate of 93.54%, 5.94 percentage points better than the state average of 87.6% and .97 percentage points above the HCPSS class of 2023.

The HCPSS class of 2024 dropout rate was 3.60%, a decrease from the class of 2023 dropout rate of 4.38% and less than half the 2024 four-year dropout rate of 8.3% for Maryland, according to a report from the Maryland State Department of Education.

While HCPSS’ 2024 graduation rates persist among some student demographic groups, a few groups showed notable improvement compared to 2023. Graduation rates for students who receive special education services increased to 75.77% in 2024, up 7.73% from 68.04% in 2023. The graduation rate for Hispanic/Latino students increased more than 6 percentage points, from 78.73% in 2023 to 84.79% in 2024. Students in the limited English proficiency group increased 5.43% from 60.33% in 2023 to 65.76% in 2024. This group also saw the largest decrease in dropout rates, down 11.44% over 2023 rates.

Students who are considered economically disadvantaged also saw a marginal increase in graduation rates in 2024, up 1.41% to 86.31% over 84.90% in 2023.

“I am encouraged to see our graduation rates holding steady over last year with improvements for some groups in our student population,” said HCPSS Superintendent Bill Barnes. “However, we need to continue to support all students to help them achieve success both in school and beyond and persist in our quest to be great for all students. We have considerable opportunities ahead of us to be sure we are a great school system for every student we serve.”

Additional details on graduation and dropout rates for HCPSS and other Maryland school systems and schools can be found online.