February 25, 2025 Staff and Community Update: BCPS Graduation Rate Rises for Second Straight Year
Dear Team BCPS—
Today, the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) released statewide and local high school graduation rate data. BCPS’ graduation rate rose —for the second year in a row—to 85.84 percent. The graduation rate for the BCPS Class of 2024 increased by nearly one percentage point from the previous year’s rate of 84.99 percent.
MSDE released the four-year and five-year graduation rate calculations for all school systems and schools in Maryland. The most recent data is for graduates who entered high school during the 2020-2021 school year (the Class of 2024). The dropout rate for the Class of 2024 is 10.14 percent, a decrease of 1.06 percentage points from the 2023 rate of 11.20 percent. The BCPS five-year graduation rate for the Class of 2023 is 86.14 percent.
The four-year graduation rate improved for nearly all student groups, broken down by race/ethnicity. Hispanic/Latino and multilingual students reported the largest increase in graduation rate, with Hispanic/Latino students achieving a 6.69 percentage point increase and multilingual students achieving an 8.31 percentage point increase.
Among schools, the largest gain was at Parkville High School with an increase of 9.35 percentage points, followed by Owings Mills High School with a 5.13 percentage point increase over the last year. Woodlawn High School also made significant gains for the second year in a row. Their graduation rate rose to 84.09 percent, an increase of 5.03 percentage points from the previous year.
We are incredibly pleased to see our graduation rate improve for the second straight year, both overall and across several student demographic and service groups. Today, while we pause to celebrate the accomplishments of the 7,000+ members of the Class of 2024 and the tireless efforts of the staff who helped them cross the finish line, we recognize there is still much work ahead for us to achieve our vision of building a school system where all students reach their highest potential.
School Highlights
- The highest graduation rates for the Class of 2024 were at Western School of Technology (99.56%); Eastern Technical High School (99.28%); and George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology (99.20%).
- Twelve high schools (Catonsville, Dundalk, Carver Center, Kenwood, Owings Mills, Parkville, Patapsco, Perry Hall, Pikesville, Sparrows Point, Western School of Technology, and Woodlawn) saw an increase in their graduation rate.
- Five high schools (Owings Mills, Patapsco, Sparrows Point, Western Tech, and Woodlawn) saw an increase in graduation rates for both the Class of 2023 and Class of 2024.
- Parkville (-8.91percentage points), Owings Mills (-7.29 percentage points), and Woodlawn (-4.66) high schools reported the greatest one-year decreases in 4-year dropout rates.
- For student groups receiving special services, the four-year graduation rate improved for students who are economically disadvantaged and for multilingual learners.
Regards,
Dr. Myriam Rogers, Superintendent
