High School Enrollment
Key Takeaways:
- In 2023 and 2024, enrollment in grades 9-12 rose slightly after a decline of almost 4,000 students from the peak in 2018. Over the next 15 years, it is expected to continue declining based on demographic trends.
The High School Enrollment chart shows the total number of Massachusetts students in grades 9 through 12 at all public schools (including charters). The data come from Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's School and District Profiles Enrollment by Grade report. You can hover over a specific point to see the data for that year.
The pandemic impacted enrollment during the 2020 and 2021 school years and the trends here have played out similarly on a national scale with a drop in total K-12 enrollment by 1,400,000 students between 2019 and 2020.
Graduation Rates
Key Takeaways:
- Overall, graduation rates across Massachusetts increased by approximately 3 percentage points between 2015 and 2022, with a slight dip in 2023.
- Every year between 2020 and 2023, students in foster care and homeless students had the lowest four-year graduation rates, between 56% and 68% each year. This data was not reported prior to 2020.
- English learners and students with disabilities had the next-lowest graduation rates, between 63% and 78% each year between 2015 and 2023. Graduation rates for both groups climbed nearly 10 percentage points through 2022, narrowing the gap with other student groups.
- Graduation rates for English learners and Hispanic or Latino students fell in 2023.
Massachusetts reports the percentage of students in each graduation cohort who graduate from public high schools in the School and District Profiles Graduation Rates report. The charts in this section of the dashboard show four-year graduation rates, or students who graduate high school within four years of starting high school. Students who earn a high school equivalency are not counted as graduates.
The High School Graduation Rate chart shows the percent of all Massachusetts public school students who graduated high school in four years. Each data point represents the percentage of students who graduated that year, within four years of starting high school. Students who graduate in their fifth year of high school are not included in this measure but are included in the reported five-year graduation rate data.
By default, this chart includes all students across the Commonwealth. However, you can use the dropdown at the top of the chart to select a specific student group to review their data. The charts below allow you to compare specific student groups. To review graduation and other high school outcomes by district, please see the District Analysis Review Tool (DART) for Success After High School.
The High School Graduation Rate by Gender and High School Graduation Rate by Race/Ethnicity charts show the percentage of Massachusetts students who graduated in four years across race/ethnicity and gender.
Each line in the charts represents one student group. You can hover over a specific point in either of the charts to see the data for that year. By default, the High School Graduation Rate by Race/Ethnicity chart shows the largest four student racial groups. You can add other student groups by selecting the dropdown at the top. Small numbers of students in some student groups leads to higher variability in outcomes from year to year.
Key Takeaways:
- Every year between 2015 and 2023, Asian and white students had the highest percentage of students graduating in four years, with graduation rates over 90% in all years.
- Hispanic or Latino and Black or African American students had the lowest four-year graduation rates by race and ethnicity in almost every year, between 70% and 84%. However, the gap between these students and the student groups with the highest graduation rates (Asian and white students) has generally narrowed in recent years.
- Across all years, female students graduated in four years at a rate approximately 5 percentage points higher than male students.
MassCore Completion
In 2007 the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education adopted a state-recommended program of studies, or defined set of recommended courses that a high school student should complete, intended to align high school coursework with college and workforce expectations. This program of studies, known as MassCore, was updated in 2018.
MassCore includes successful completion of four units of English, four units of mathematics, three units of lab-based science, three units of history, two units of the same foreign language, one unit of the arts, and five additional “core” courses.
Massachusetts reports the percentage of students who completed the MassCore program of study by the time they graduated high school. The MassCore Completion Rate chart shows the percentage of graduates who completed the MassCore program of study from 2015 through 2024. By default this chart represents all Massachusetts graduates. However, you can use the dropdown at the top of the chart to select a specific student group to review their data.
Key Takeaways:
- Overall, a majority of high school graduates complete MassCore requirements. The rate of MassCore completion grew by roughly 10 points from 2015 to 2020 and has remained steady around 83% from 2021 to 2024.
The MassCore Completion Rate by Gender and MassCore Completion Rate by Race/Ethnicity charts show the percentage of Massachusetts high school graduates who completed the MassCore program of study by these student groups.
Each line in the charts represents one group of Massachusetts graduates. You can hover over a specific point in either of the charts to see the data for that year. You can add other student groups by selecting the dropdown at the top. Small numbers of students in some student groups leads to higher variability in outcomes from year to year.
Key Takeaways:
- In 2024, 88.5% of white graduates completed the MassCore curriculum, as compared to 74.1% of Black or African American graduates and 75.2% of Hispanic or Latino graduates.
- The completion rate for Black or African American graduates increased by 10.4 percentage points between 2020 and 2024. The gap in MassCore completion rates between white graduates and Black or African American graduates decreased by 9.9 percentage points over the same period.
- In 2024, 85.5% of female graduates completed the MassCore curriculum, while 82.0% of male graduates did so.
Participation in Designated High School College and Career Pathways and Internships
The Office of College, Career, and Technical Education supports four Designated High School College and Career Pathways (“Pathways”) to help students graduate ready for college and career:
1. Career Technical Education (Chapter 74 state approved programs)
State-approved high school programs that prepare students for both employment and continued education in specific industries through immersive coursework and work experience.
2. Career Connections (non-Chapter 74 programs)
Locally approved high school programs that provide students opportunities to explore specific industries through coursework and work experience.
State-approved high school programs that support students to enroll in a sequence of college courses, with the goal of graduating high school with 12 transferable credits and acceptance to a college.
State-approved high school programs that provide students the opportunity to explore and prepare for continued education in high-demand industries such as information technology, engineering, healthcare, life sciences, or advanced manufacturing through a combination of coursework and work experience (i.e., internships).
The Participation in High School Pathways chart shows the percentage of all Massachusetts public and charter school students who are participating in any of the Designated High School College and Career Pathways. It includes students in grades 9-12 and special education beyond grade 12. Individual students may participate in multiple Pathways. After Dark programs are a subset of Career Technical Education programs.
Key Takeaways:
- The most popular Pathway by far is Career Technical Education, with nearly 20% of all high school students participating each year.
- The percentage of Massachusetts high school students participating in any Pathway increased 3 percentage points between 2022 and 2024. Almost all of that growth came from increased participation in Early College and Innovation Career Pathways; between 2022 and 2024, participation in Early College doubled from 1.4% to 2.8%, and participation in Innovation Career Pathways tripled from 0.8% to 2.4%.
The Composition by Gender of Participants in High School Pathways and Composition by Race/Ethnicity of Participants in High School Pathways charts display the proportion of participants for each Pathway disaggregated by student group.
Key Takeaways:
- Participant gender varied substantially between different Pathways. Male students made up 53.0% of students participating in any Pathway.
- Male students were the majority in every pathway except Early College, where female students make up 58.4% of participants.
Key Takeaways:
- The composition of participant race and ethnicity varied by Pathway. The overall racial and ethnic composition of students participating in Pathways (the “Any Pathway” bar) was similar to the composition of the high school population.
- Hispanic or Latino students had high participation in each of the Pathways, relative to the percentage of high school students who are Hispanic or Latino. Black or African American students participated at higher rates in Early College, After Dark, Career Connections, and Innovation Career Pathways, with lower rates in Career and Technical Education.
- Asian students participated at higher rates in Career Connections and Early College, with lower rates in After Dark, Career Technical Education, and Innovation Career Pathways.
Advanced Placement Participation and Performance
Massachusetts reports student participation and performance in Advanced Placement (AP) examinations. In the spring of 2024, Massachusetts students participated in 47 unique AP exams across seven subject areas (Arts, English Language Arts, Foreign Languages, History and Social Science, Math and Computer Science, Science and Technology, and Capstone).
The Advanced Placement Tests Taken by Year chart represents the number of AP tests taken across the state of Massachusetts. To view data broken out by student race or ethnicity, gender, or test subject area, select the corresponding button across the top.
These charts show the number of AP tests taken, not the number of unique Massachusetts students who took these tests, i.e. if one student took 3 tests in a given year, this chart will count each of the 3 tests separately.
Key Takeaways:
- The number of AP tests taken statewide rose quickly between 2022 and 2024, exceeding its previous peak in 2019 by almost 18,000 tests.
- White students took more AP tests than any other racial group in every year. The number of tests taken has grown over time for each racial/ethnic and gender group.
- Female students took a slight majority of AP tests every year.
- The number of tests by subject area does not necessarily reflect student interest, because there are different numbers of tests available in each subject area.
All AP exams are graded on a 1 through 5 scale. Generally, a score of a 3 or higher is accepted by most colleges as a passing score on an AP exam. The Advanced Placement Test Passing Rate chart shows the percent of AP exams in which students scored a 3 or higher. By default, this chart shows the performance of all students in all subject areas. You can change the student group represented by selecting a different student group from the first drop down. You can add additional subject areas to the chart by selecting additional test subjects from the second drop down.
Key Takeaways:
- Passing rates stayed relatively flat until shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic. After a dip in 2021, they rose to about 70% in 2024, just below the peak in 2020.
- Passing rates were highest for Capstone, Arts, and Foreign Languages test subjects, all around 80% or higher since 2021.
- Asian students, multi-race students who are not Hispanic or Latino, and white students had the highest passing rates. Male students had a slightly higher passing rate than female students.
Graduates Attending College
Massachusetts tracks the enrollment of Massachusetts public high school graduates into institutions of higher education. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education obtains data on college enrollment from the National Student Clearinghouse, which gathers the data nationally. Results by school and district are published in the Graduates Attending Higher Education report.
Students in Massachusetts may attend different types of institutions, including:
- Private four-year institutions both in state and out of state
- Public four-year institutions including both in-state public institutions (Massachusetts state schools or UMass schools) and out-of-state public institutions
- Public two-year institutions, including most community colleges
Note: Fewer than 0.1% of Massachusetts students attend private two-year institutions and are omitted here.
Overall College Attendance:
The College or University Attendance chart below displays the percentage of Massachusetts high school graduates attending any of the higher education institutions listed above by March of the year following their high school graduation. The year for each data point is the year of students' graduation from high school.
By default, this chart represents all students across the Commonwealth. You can use the dropdown at the top to select a specific student group to review their data.
Key Takeaways:
- Prior to 2019, the percent of all Massachusetts high school graduates attending higher education institutions stayed relatively flat, between 72% and 74%.
- College attendance for the class of 2020 dropped by 8.2 percentage points at the start of the pandemic and has remained mostly flat, and below pre-pandemic rates, for subsequent graduating classes.
- Between 2019 and 2020, college attendance for English Learners dropped about 18 percentage points, the largest drop of any student group. This downward trend continued, with attendance rates falling to 29.5% in 2023. There was a total decrease of 26.8% since 2015 – the largest decline recorded for any student group.
College Attendance by Gender and Race/Ethnicity:
The College or University Attendance by Gender and College or University Attendance by Race/Ethnicity charts show the percentage of Massachusetts high school graduates attending any of the higher education institutions listed above by March of the year following their high school graduation. The year for each data point is the year of students' graduation from high school.
Each line in the charts represents one group of Massachusetts students. By default, the College/University Attendance by Race/Ethnicity shows the largest four racial student groups. You can add other racial student groups by selecting the dropdown at the top. Small numbers of students in some student groups leads to higher variability in outcomes from year to year.
Key Takeaways:
- In 2023, the gap in college attendance between female and male students continued to widen, with 70.6% of female students to 56.1% of male students attending college.
- During the pandemic, Asian students experienced the smallest drop in college attendance (about 6 percentage points between 2019 and 2020) and are nearer to pre-pandemic rates than any other student group. In contrast, other students of color experienced steeper declines, with college attendance rates remaining 12 - 26 percentage points below pre-pandemic levels.
College Attendance by Institution Type:
The College or University Attendance by Institution Type chart shows the trend over time in recent years. As in the last chart, each year represents the high school graduating class of that year. The lines represent the percentage of high school graduates in that year who attended that type of institution by March of the year following their high school graduation.
In the chart below, public four-year institutions include Massachusetts state universities and University of Massachusetts (UMass) campuses, as well as out-of-state public four-year institutions (e.g. University of Connecticut). Private four-year institutions encompass both in-state colleges (e.g. Boston University) and out-of-state colleges (e.g. Yale University). Public two-year institutions consist of in-state and out-of-state community colleges, since few students attend private two-year colleges.
Use the dropdown in the top-right corner of the chart to view data for a specific student group.
Key Takeaways:
- The decline in college attendance is largely driven by decreasing enrollment at public two-year institutions, which fell from 16.3% in 2019 to 10.4% in 2023. In contrast, attendance rates at public and private four-year institutions began to rebound in 2023.
- Historically, white students, Asian students, and multi-racial students who are not Hispanic or Latino have attended public and private four-year institutions and higher rates than public two-year colleges. Since 2020, this trend has expanded to include Black or African American students and American Indian or Alaska Native students, who now also attend four-year institutions at higher rates.
- In 2023, students with disabilities and students with high needs attended public and private four-year institutions at higher rates than public two-year institutions for the first time since 2015.
In-State Public College/University Attendance:
The Massachusetts Public Higher Education Attendance by Segment chart shows the trend in the percent of high school graduates attending Massachusetts public higher education institutions. These include:
- Massachusetts State Universities
- University of Massachusetts (UMass) campuses, and
- Massachusetts Community Colleges
Each line represents the percent of high school graduates from a given year who attend that type of institution by March of the year following their high school graduation. Using the dropdown at the top, you can use the filter to select a specific student group to review their data, or can view the trends across all students, as is presented by default.
Key Takeaways:
- The percent of students attending UMass schools for the high school graduating classes of 2015-2019 and then decreased slightly for classes graduating in 2020 and 2021. The attendance rate at UMass schools improved slightly among 2023 graduates but remained below pre-pandemic levels.
- The percentage of students attending Massachusetts state universities stayed relatively flat for the high school graduating classes of 2015 through 2019, but similarly decreased in 2020. Attendance rates for more recent graduating classes remain below pre-pandemic levels.
- Massachusetts community college attendance steadily declined from 2015 to 2019, then dropped more sharply during the pandemic for the class of 2020 (from 15.7% in 2019 to 11.4% in 2020). In 2023 attendance rates remain 7.4% lower than in 2015.
- Some student groups have experienced a steeper drop in community college attendance compared to the average 5.8 percentage point drop since the graduating class of 2019, with English learners, Hispanic or Latino students, Black or African American students, students with high needs, and students with disabilities being among the most affected.
College Persistence
Massachusetts tracks students who graduate from public high schools as they enroll in and attend public, private, or out-of-state institutions of higher education. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education obtains data on college persistence from the National Student Clearinghouse, which gathers the data nationally. Data for each district is published in the District Analysis and Review Tools (DART), and can be accessed on the E2C Hub.
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The Persistence in College or University by Gender and Persistence in College or University by Race/Ethnicity charts show the percentage of Massachusetts students persisting into a second year of college, whether at the same or a different institution. It includes all public high school graduates who first enrolled in postsecondary public or private education in the immediate fall after high school graduation.
Each line in the charts represents one group of Massachusetts students. By default, the charts represent all students across the Commonwealth. Use the dropdown to explore persistence by race/ethnicity in detail.
Key Takeaways:
- Asian and white students had higher persistence rates into a second year of college than Black or African American and Hispanic or Latino students. This gap ranged from about 10 to 20 percentage points between 2015 and 2022.
- Across all years, female students persisted to their second year at a higher rate than male students. While the gap was widening pre-pandemic, the gender gap narrowed to 2 percentage points between 2020 and 2022.
- Persistence rates did not change significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wage Outcomes of High School Graduates
This section is unchanged from the 2023 report. It will be updated in 2025 when data are available.
The report on wage outcomes shows data on employment and earnings of high school graduates. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education uses a secure, anonymized process to match its student records with wage records provided by the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) and with data on college attendance. Approximately 85-90% of public school graduates can be found in the wage record system. The DUA system does not include data on:
- Those employed outside Massachusetts, self-employed individuals, and federal employees
- The number of hours worked
- Hourly rate of employment
The Average Real Earnings figure show earnings trends of high school graduate cohorts six years after graduation, accounting for inflation (using 2021 dollars). Each line represents one group of Massachusetts students. Customize the dashboard view by adding or removing other racial student groups from the dropdown at the top.
Key Takeaways:
- Graduates from more recent cohorts earned more, on average, than earlier cohorts.
- White and Asian graduates typically earned more than African American/Black and Hispanic or Latino graduates.
- Across all years, female graduates earned less than male graduates on average. The gap has widened for more recent cohorts.
The second figure is a more in-depth report on income after high school graduation. To use this report, first select a graduation year and then select either the whole state or one district. The report will update automatically to show the selected data. The report can be filtered to show results by various student groups. There is also a button to show wages and employment by industry.
For optimal viewing, open the report in a new window.
| Date published: | March 26, 2025 |
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| Last updated: | March 26, 2025 |