Commissioner of Education Angélica Infante-Green | Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
The Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) has announced that the 2023-24 four-year cohort graduation rate for students who began high school in the 2020-21 academic year stands at 84.1%. This figure maintains a decade-long high from the previous school year, while dropout rates have decreased statewide. Notably, multilingual learners, low-income students, and Hispanic students have made progress in closing graduation rate gaps.
Governor Dan McKee commented on these results: “The latest graduation results underscore that Rhode Island students continue to move in the right direction.” He emphasized the importance of expanding access to quality secondary education as a foundation for future success.
Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green noted the collaboration among students, educators, and families: “While the trends are encouraging, too many Rhode Island students are still struggling to stay in school and graduate.” She stressed ongoing efforts to address chronic absenteeism as part of improving academic outcomes.
Council Chair Patti DiCenso praised stakeholders for their efforts: “We’ve worked diligently to improve the high school experience and enhance our program offerings and are seeing real momentum.”
For the first time, RIDE released visualizations showing how chronic absenteeism affects graduation rates. Students not chronically absent had a graduation rate of 96.2%, compared to 58.9% for those chronically absent throughout high school. Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more of school days.
These findings support statewide initiatives aimed at reimagining high schools and preparing students for college and careers through new readiness-based requirements and expanded career education programs.
Commissioner Infante-Green highlighted ongoing efforts: “There is so much more to do to prepare our students for lifelong success... attendance matters.”
In Providence Public Schools District (PPSD), the four-year graduation rate improved by 2.6 percentage points to 79.4%. Six out of ten schools with significant increases were from PPSD. The Juanita Sanchez Educational Complex saw notable improvements with its focus on life sciences.
More detailed information on Rhode Island's graduation rates can be accessed online.
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