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Explore national- and state-level data for hundreds of health, environmental and socioeconomic measures, including background information about each measure. Use features on this page to find measures; view subpopulations, trends and rankings; and download and share content.
Washington Value:
Percentage of high school students graduating with a regular high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade
Washington Rank:
Percentage of high school students graduating with a regular high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade
91.2% - 89.2%
89.1% - 87.4%
87.3% - 85.9%
85.8% - 82.4%
82.3% - 76.4%
No Data
US Value: 86.6 %
Top State(s): West Virginia: 91.2 %
Bottom State(s): Arizona: 77.3 %
Definition: Percentage of high school students graduating with a regular high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade
Data Source and Years(s): U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, EDFacts, 2021-2022 School Year
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, EDFacts, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2026.
The connection between education and health is well documented. Higher educational attainment is associated with higher earnings, increased health literacy and better self-reported health. Individuals with lower educational attainment are at greater risk of adverse health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease and premature death. Increased time in school is also connected to higher civic engagement in adulthood.
The prevalence of high school graduation is higher among:
Keeping adolescents in school through high school graduation and beyond is key to increasing equitable health outcomes. Several programs have been successful in improving high school graduation rates by targeting high-risk populations. Strategies for increasing graduation rates — and ultimately, health equity — include:
The Institute of Education Sciences lists several recommendations for preventing dropout and improving graduation rates, including providing intensive, individualized support to students who have fallen off track and engaging students by offering curricula and programs that connect schoolwork with college and career success.
Helping students graduate high school begins early. Meeting fourth grade reading proficiency standards and eighth grade math proficiency standards are important milestones that impact high school graduation rates.
Interventions to increase high school graduation rates should target social, economic and health-related barriers to graduation. These include absenteeism, chronic illness, poverty, hunger, developmental delay due to chronic stress, homelessness and teen pregnancy. The expansion of school-based health centers can help address some of these barriers.
Increasing the proportion of students who graduate in four years with a regular diploma is a Healthy People 2030 adolescent health objective.
2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book: State Trends in Child Well-Being. Baltimore, MD: The Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2025. https://assets.aecf.org/m/resourcedoc/Aecf-2025kidscountdatabook.pdf.
American Public Health Association. The Dropout Crisis: A Public Health Problem and the Role of School-Based Health Care. Washington, D.C.: APHA Center for School, Health and Education, February 2018. https://www.apha.org/getcontentasset/d2f4fca8-8e1b-4172-8684-d6945f1933bf/7ca0dc9d-611d-46e2-9fd3-26a4c03ddcbb/dropout_crisis.pdf?language=en.
Arenson, Michael, Philip J. Hudson, NaeHyung Lee, and Betty Lai. “The Evidence on School-Based Health Centers: A Review.” Global Pediatric Health 6 (January 2019): 2333794X1982874. https://doi.org/10.1177/2333794X19828745.
Flanagan, Constance, Peter Levine, and Richard Settersten. Civic Engagement and the Changing Transition to Adulthood. CIRCLE, Tufts University, February 27, 2009. https://circle.tufts.edu/sites/default/files/2020-02/civic_engagement_changing_transition_adulthood.pdf.
Hahn, Robert A., John A. Knopf, Sandra Jo Wilson, Benedict I. Truman, Bobby Milstein, Robert L. Johnson, Jonathan E. Fielding, et al. “Programs to Increase High School Completion: A Community Guide Systematic Health Equity Review.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 48, no. 5 (March 26, 2015): 599–608. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2014.12.005.
Hummer, Robert A., and Elaine M. Hernandez. “The Effect of Educational Attainment on Adult Mortality in the United States.” Population Bulletin 68, no. 1 (June 2013): 1–16. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25995521/.
Kutner, Mark, Elizabeth Greenberg, Ying Jin, and Christine Paulsen. The Health Literacy of America’s Adults: Results From the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, September 2006. https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2006/2006483_1.pdf.
Magnani, Jared W., Hongyan Ning, John T. Wilkins, Donald M. Lloyd-Jones, and Norrina B. Allen. “Educational Attainment and Lifetime Risk of Cardiovascular Disease.” JAMA Cardiology 9, no. 1 (January 1, 2024): 45–54. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamacardio.2023.3990.
Rumberger, Russell W., Howard (Sandy) Addis, Elaine Allensworth, Robert Balfanz, Julie Bruch, Erin Dillon, Debra Duardo, et al. Preventing Dropout in Secondary Schools. NCEE 2017-4028. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE), September 2017. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide/24.
Zajacova, Anna, and Elizabeth M. Lawrence. “The Relationship Between Education and Health: Reducing Disparities Through a Contextual Approach.” Annual Review of Public Health 39 (April 1, 2018): 273–89.https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031816-044628.
America’s Health Rankings builds on the work of the United Health Foundation to draw attention to public health and better understand the health of various populations. Our platform provides relevant information that policymakers, public health officials, advocates and leaders can use to effect change in their communities.
We have developed detailed analyses on the health of key populations in the country, including women and children, seniors and those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, in addition to a deep dive into health disparities across the country.
