A total of 38,326 students graduated from Utah’s public high schools in 2016 bringing the total high school graduation rate to 85 percent, an increase of 1 percentage point over 2014, according to data released by the Utah State Board of Education.
The Utah high school graduation rate has increased 6.4 percentage points over the past five years.
Year-to-year graduation rates increased for most demographic subgroups in Utah in 2016. The exceptions are for white students, Hispanic students, and English language learner students, where the rate held steady between 2015 and 2016, and economically disadvantaged students, where the rate declined from 76 to 75 percent.
| Category | 2016 Graduation Rate | 2015 Graduation Rate |
| All students | 85% | 84% |
| American Indian | 70% | 69% |
| Asian | 89% | 88% |
| Black | 73% | 68% |
| Hispanic | 74% | 74% |
| Pacific Islander | 84% | 83% |
| White | 87% | 87% |
| Economically disadvantaged | 75% | 76% |
| English language learners | 65% | 65% |
Sixteen of Utah’s 41 school districts and 16 of the state’s 43 charter high schools, accounting for 45 percent of Utah high school graduates, posted graduation rates of 90 percent or higher. Carbon and Juab districts led districts with 97 percent graduation rates. North Summit at 95 and Cache at 94 percent were not far behind. Among charter high schools, Academy for Math Engineering and Science (AMES), Intech Collegiate High School, Karl G. Maeser Preparatory Academy, Northern Utah Academy for Engineering Math and Science (NUAMES), Pinnacle Canyon Academy, Rockwell Charter High School, Success Academy, and the Utah County Academy of Science all had graduation rates of 95 percent or higher.
“A high school diploma is a crucial step for any Utah student who wants to succeed in the global marketplace,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Sydnee Dickson. “We celebrate those students who have taken that first step to make themselves ready for college and careers. We promise to look hard at the data and closer still at the students represented by the data to see that all students take that necessary step of graduating from high school prepared for college or careers.”
Information about graduation rates for Utah school districts and for individual high schools can be found online at http://www.schools.utah.gov/
