Montgomery County Public Schools is renewing its focus on academic achievement following the release of new graduation data from the Maryland State Department of Education that shows a decline in the district’s four-year cohort graduation rate for the Class of 2025.
According to MSDE, MCPS posted a four-year cohort graduation rate of 88.77 percent for the Class of 2025. While that figure remains higher than the statewide average, it represents a notable drop from the district’s 91.85 percent graduation rate for the Class of 2024. Of the 13,705 students in the 2025 cohort, 12,166 earned their high school diplomas within four years.
MCPS officials described the decline as an important signal of the growing challenges students are facing across the district. In its response, the school system emphasized that earning a diploma reflects a 13-year educational journey and that the latest data suggests student needs have begun to outpace the supports in place in recent years.
District leaders say MCPS is moving forward with strategies aimed at restoring academic excellence and strengthening foundational skills across all grade levels. That work is being guided by the Montgomery County Board of Education’s Future Ready Strategic Plan, which focuses on improving outcomes, addressing disparities, and ensuring students are prepared for life beyond graduation.
Statewide, Maryland’s four-year cohort graduation rate for the Class of 2025 came in at 86.44 percent, down slightly from 87.55 percent in 2024. Graduation rates across the state have fluctuated within a relatively narrow range since the 2020 to 2021 school year, remaining between 85.8 percent and 87.6 percent.
Despite the overall dip, the state data showed gains for several student groups, including African American students, students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and students with disabilities. At the same time, the data revealed a significant decline in graduation rates among multilingual learners, identifying an area state and local education leaders say will require targeted attention.
MCPS officials noted that the graduation data reinforces the need for continued investment in early literacy, academic intervention, and student support services, as the district works to reverse the downward trend and better meet the evolving needs of its student population.
