Californians Are Struggling to Graduate From High School

Stock photo shows students graduating. Data shows California has the lowest percentage of high school graduate diploma holders in the country.

Californians struggle the most to graduate from high school, according to research.

The personal finance website WalletHub released a report showing the most and least educated states in the U.S.

It put California in 8th place for quality of education but its ranking at 37 for educational attainment, meaning it placed 29th overall.

Massachusetts ranked first in both educational attainment and quality of education to top the list, while West Virginia was the least educated, according to WalletHub’s analysis.

However, when it comes to the number of high school diploma holders, California ranked at the very bottom. Just 84.7 percent of California residents aged 25 or over graduated from high school, according to 2022 data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

But although California’s high graduation rates are lower than the rest of the country, the numbers have increased over the past decade.

The state’s high school graduation rate rose from 75 percent in the 2009-10 school year to 83 percent in the 2015-16 year. Much of that increase was due to rising graduation rates among students of color, according to the nonprofit Public Policy Institute of California.

The California Education Code specifies that in order to graduate from a California high school, students must have completed: three courses in English and three courses in social studies, two courses in both math and science, as well as a course in either visual or performing arts, a foreign language, or career technical education.

The reason for California having a lower number of high school diploma holders is due to several factors, according to WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe.

“California’s education system is a complex landscape that presents certain challenges,” Happe told Newsweek via email.

“Although the state has a reputation for providing quality education, a significantly low number of high school graduates indicates a serious educational attainment issue. This gap is likely due to multiple factors, such as socioeconomic disparities, lack of access to resources, and demographic diversity.”

In order to address these disparities, Happe said “it is crucial to take targeted measures to ensure that every Californian has equal access to education and opportunities. Improving Californians’ educational attainment is essential for their individual success and vital for the overall prosperity and competitive edge of the state.”

Meanwhile, data from the California Department of Education shows that the number of chronically absent students—those who miss at least 10 percent of school days—in California’s K-12 schools rose dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic and remain worryingly high. Rates of chronic absenteeism were just 12 percent in 2019 but were 25 percent in the 2022-23 school year—down from 30 percent the previous year.

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