High school graduation rates – News, Research and Analysis – The Conversation

The Salinas High School (Calif.) girls volleyball team from 1924, as seen in the school’s yearbook, ‘El Gabilan.’ Michael A. Messner

April 22, 2026

High school yearbooks focus on the fun students had, obscuring the pain people also experienced

Michael A Messner, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

A review of nearly 100 years of high school yearbooks from Salinas High School in California showcases a nostalgic, not always accurate, version of high school.

A high school junior looks over a farm where he works in Perry, N.Y., in March 2025. Lauren Petracca/Associated Press

December 1, 2025

Rural high school students are more likely than city kids to get their diplomas, but they remain less likely to go to college

Sheneka Williams, Michigan State University

1 in 5 students in the US are living in rural areas.

When students are in school consistently, they learn more, do better and are more likely to graduate from high school. Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post

October 26, 2022

How parents and schools can get chronically absent kids back in the classroom

Joshua Childs, The University of Texas at Austin

The numbers of students missing 15 days or more of school in a given year is on the rise in the US. Evidence shows certain approaches can get kids back in school and help them stay in class.

Photos of graduating students are seen on lockers during a graduation ceremony at Magee Secondary School in Vancouver, on June 11, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

May 6, 2021

5 factors that contribute to students finishing high school

Ronna Mosher, University of Calgary; Amber Hartwell, University of Calgary, and Barbara Brown, University of Calgary

Relationships, inclusivity, anti-racism and flexibility matter. So does offering students learning opportunities, and supporting and following their transitions over time.

Policies that cut school expenditures under the premise of “doing more with less” can also contribute to a decrease in high school graduation rates that could easily cancel out those savings. Shutterstock

May 13, 2019

High school dropouts cost countries a staggering amount of money

Louis Volante, Brock University; John Jerrim, UCL, and Jo Ritzen, Maastricht University

While the purpose of education can’t be reduced to promoting economic growth, every child out of school represents both lost opportunities — and huge economic costs — for countries.

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