SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy (DFL- St. Paul) said the announcement today from the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) that 2024 student graduation rates were the highest ever recorded, and that the shrinking achievement gap is great news for the state and a testament to the significant education investments made by DFLers in 2023.
“Minnesota’s 2024 graduation rate is at the highest level ever recorded, and that is great news for our schools, our students and our state’s future,” said Majority Leader Murphy. “I am so proud of the hard work that our students and our schools have done to reach this incredible milestone. I’m equally proud of the work our Senate DFL caucus did with House DFLers and Governor Walz in 2023 to give our schools the tools they need to raise our students’ performance and to cut the achievement gap. Critical investments in our public schools and students is driving strong results. Our work is not done. We will continue to do everything we can to protect the progress made by Minnesota schools, students and families.”
“The rising numbers of students graduating from high school are a testament to the dedication of our students, teachers, support personnel, administrators, and families, and it fills me with great pride,” said Senate Education Finance Chair, Senator Mary Kunesh (DFL-New Brighton). “As a retired public education teacher and Chair of the Senate Education Finance committee, we have worked very intentionally to focus on students, classrooms, and educators – and those efforts are just the beginning. Though graduation rates have improved, disparities still remain, and my colleagues and I are committed to continuing to address these issues.”
“Congratulations to all of the students who graduated in 2024, and all those who will graduate this year,” said Senate Education Policy Chair, Senator Steve Cwodzinski (DFL-Eden Prairie). “These numbers show that our investments in education are working. When we support our students and give them the tools they need, there’s nothing they can’t accomplish. I look forward to seeing the impacts of our continued efforts to combat chronic absenteeism and limit classroom distractions, which will hopefully improve Minnesota’s graduation rates even further, because our ultimate goal is 100% graduation rates. Cheers to the 2025 graduating class.”
According to MDE, Minnesota posted a record-high graduation rate of 84.2% in 2024, with 59,720 students earning a diploma. That is up from 83.1 percent in 2023. The achievement gap between white students and students of color also narrowed in many categories, according to MDE.
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