ST. PAUL – Senate Education Policy Committee Lead Republican Julia Coleman (R-Waconia) released the following statement on the state’s graduation rates:

“Graduating from high school is such an important indicator to track, but I am concerned with what graduation means. Minnesota has done away with so many testing and knowledge requirements to graduate that I’m not sure the average high school diploma means what it used to. Graduation should mean more than just completing coursework, it should be the standard by which we trust our students have reading, math, and science skills to thrive as an adult and be prepared for college if that’s their chosen path.

“State assessment data continually tells us that fewer than half of Minnesota’s high school graduates are proficient in math and reading, and we need to see more urgency from policy makers to address those stunning numbers.”

According to the Minnesota Department of Education, the 2023 graduation rate was 83.3%, a 0.3 percentage point decrease in the four-year graduation rate compared to last year. Learn more by using the Minnesota Report Card.