Howard County Reports Record High Graduation Rate for Class of 2021

February 24th, 2022

The Howard County Public School System Class of 2021 achieved a graduation rate of 94.05%, which exceeds the Maryland average of 87.2 percent and the highest rate since 2011. The 2021 graduation rate is a 1.26 percentage point increase from the Class of 2019. The graduation rate for students with Limited English Proficiency increased by 18.98 percentage points from 47.22% for the Class of 2019 to 66.21% for the Class of 2021. In addition, rates for African American and Hispanic students increased by 1.97 and 5.92 percentage points, respectively. The rate for students receiving Free and Reduced Meals increased by 4.57 percentage points. Asian American, white and students who identified as two or more races achieved graduation rates of 95%.

HCPSS Superintendent Michael J. Martirano has consistently emphasized the importance of improving graduation rates, especially among student groups who have lagged behind their peers. “The true measure of our success is bridging the gap for those who are falling behind,” he said. “Over the last several years, we have made significant investments to increase much-needed wraparound services. As we celebrate our progress, we have to recognize that there are still many of our students who did not graduate. It is absolutely critical that we remain focused on providing every student the individualized support they need to be successful, and continue working to address disparities that exist among student groups.”

A summary of the four-year adjusted cohort graduation and dropout trends for the last three years is provided below.

• Of the 4,518 HCPSS students who entered high school in the fall of 2017-18 (Class of 2021), 94.05% (n = 4,249) graduated in four years, reflecting an increase of 1.26 percentage points from 92.78% for the Class of 2019.
• The HCPSS Class of 2021 dropout rate was 3.21% (n = 145), reflecting a decrease of 1.32 percentage points from 4.53% for the Class of 2019.
• Of note, the graduation rate for students with Limited English Proficiency increased by 18.98 percentage points from 47.22% for the Class of 2019 to 66.21% for the Class of 2021. The dropout rate for students with LEP decreased by 20.29 percentage points from 42.36% in 2019 to 22.07% in 2021.

“HCPSS staff, students and families should be proud of this significant achievement during what have been challenging times for our community,” stated Vicky Cutroneo, Board of Education Chair. “While there is still much work to be done to address persistent disparities, we must acknowledge and celebrate this collective achievement.”

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