Graduation Rate

In the 2015-16 school year, 88.5 percent of students graduated high school within four years and a summer after entering ninth grade four years earlier. In the 2016-17 school year, the graduation rate rose to 89.1 percent.

In 2011, in response to changes in federal regulations, Tennessee changed its methodology for calculating the graduation rate. The methodology uses a cohort definition that tracks students from 9th grade through 12th grade, accounting for students who earn a high school diploma, transfer to other schools, drop out, or leave school for any other reason.

The charts below compare Tennessee’s graduation rates for public schools by ethnicity, special population, and gender for school years through 2016-17.