Largest Graduation Rate Decline in Two Decades Underscores Need for Transparency, Rigor, and Better Measures of Student Preparedness 

NEW YORK, NY — EdTrust-New York today released a new report, The Readiness Question: What Falling Graduation Rates Mean for New York’s Future, showing that New York’s high school graduation rate fell from 87% in 2022 to 85% in 2025. That two-point drop marks the largest year-over-year decline in two decades and reveals persistent inequities in educational opportunities and outcomes. 

The analysis confirms concerns that EdTrust-New York and the New York Equity Coalition raised in 2022, when New York reported a sharp increase in graduation rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, advocates warned that Regents exam exemptions and other temporary policy changes fueled much of the increase rather than meaningful gains in student learning and academic preparedness. 

“Three years ago, we cautioned that graduation rates inflated by temporary pandemic-era policies could not be mistaken for genuine progress,” said Jeff Smink, Deputy Director at EdTrust-New York. “Today, those concerns have become reality. The decline in graduation rates, especially among multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and Black and Latinx students, should serve as a wake-up call. New York must do more to ensure that all students receive the support they need to thrive after high school.” 

The report shows that underserved students account for the entire statewide decline in graduation rates since 2022. English Language Learners/Multilingual Learners (ELLs/MLLs) experienced the steepest drop, with graduation rates falling 15 percent, from 65% in 2022 to 50% in 2025. Students with disabilities also saw graduation rates fall from 69% to 66%. 

The findings arrive as New York prepares to replace Regents exam graduation requirements with a new “Portrait of a Graduate” framework beginning in 2029. 

While the declining graduation rates suggest that Regents exams created barriers for some students, EdTrust-New York warns that New York could make it even harder for families, employers, colleges, and policymakers to evaluate student readiness if the state eliminates an objective statewide measure without establishing clear standards for rigor and comparability. The report highlights a growing disconnect between graduation rates and measures of academic achievement. Despite an 85% statewide graduation rate, only 56% of students passed the Algebra I Regents exam, and just 31% of eighth graders scored proficient in reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). 

Among the report’s key findings: 

• New York’s graduation rate fell from 87% in 2022 to 85% in 2025. Graduation rates declined by 2% for Black and Latinx students to 80% and 79% respectively from 2022 to 2025, lower than the statewide average of 85%. ELLs/MLLs experienced the largest decline of any student group, with graduation rates dropping 15%. 

• Students with disabilities saw graduation rates fall from 69% to 66%. 

• The share of students earning a Regents diploma dropped from 51% in 2022 to 49% in 2025, while more students earned local diplomas. 

• Major urban districts, including Albany, Buffalo, New York City, Rochester, Syracuse, and Utica, recorded substantial declines, with some districts reporting double-digit decreases among ELLs/MLLs and other underserved student groups. 

The report also examines how pandemic-era policy changes temporarily boosted graduation rates. Regents exam cancellations, lower passing thresholds, expanded diploma pathways, and increased access to local diplomas helped more students graduate during the pandemic years. Students of color and students with disabilities benefited disproportionately from those changes, but state and national assessment data did not show corresponding gains in academic proficiency. 

As New York transitions to a new graduation framework, EdTrust-New York urges state leaders to: 

• Maintain strong participation in statewide assessments to preserve objective measures of student achievement and readiness. 

• Establish graduation requirements that are rigorous, transparent, and comparable across districts. 

• Develop and implement a comprehensive Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) to track student outcomes and evaluate the effectiveness of the Portrait of a Graduate framework. 

• Use objective indicators, including Regents exam and NAEP results, to determine whether students graduate prepared for college, careers, and civic life. 

The full report, The Readiness Question: What Falling Graduation Rates Mean for New York’s Future, is available HERE. 

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About EdTrust-New York  

EdTrust-New York is dedicated to eliminating equity and opportunity gaps that hinder students from reaching their full potential. We focus on ensuring that students of color, including Black, Latinx, Native American, and Asian American and Pacific Islander students, and those from low-income backgrounds achieve high levels of success from early childhood through college. For more information, visit EdTrustNY.org.