Nevada Graduation Rates Climb for Class of 2025

The Nevada Department of Education celebrated a major milestone for the Class of 2025, reporting a statewide high school graduation rate of 85.4%, a 3.8% increase from the 81.6% rate of the Class of 2024. The state graduated 34,175 students in 2025. At the district level, Clark County achieved an 86.6% rate, while smaller districts such as Eureka reached a perfect 100% graduation rate.

A standout achievement is the 98.8% graduation rate among Career and Technical Education scholars. State Superintendent Dr. Victor Wakefield has lauded this success, tying it to recent investments, including a $2.3 billion boost in K-12 funding.

While Nevadas K-12 education system has long ranked among the lowest nationally, the 2025 Nevada School Performance Framework signals encouraging strides. This framework evaluates schools based on academic performance, chronic absenteeism, and graduation rates, assigning points to calculate an index score that determines a 1-to-5 star rating. The latest data shows an 11% reduction in 1-star schools and a doubling of 5-star elementary schools in Washoe County. Statewide, 5-star schools climbed to 17% from 11% in 2024, while 4-star schools rose to 13% from 10%. Public charter schools are leading this charge, driving significant improvements. All grade levels have also posted gains in mathematics and English Language Arts proficiency, hinting that sustained legislative efforts over the past decade where education has dominated Nevadas legislative sessions with more bills than any other topic may be bearing fruit.

Concerns remain that Nevada’s rising graduation rates may reflect easier standards. Without a minimum GPA requirement, some graduates lack basic reading, writing, and math skills. Compounding this, Nevada ranks 47th out of 51 (50 states plus Washington, D.C.) in adult literacy, per the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, which measures adults' ability to navigate written texts in daily life.

Even so, the rise in star ratings, school rankings, and graduation rates marks a clear step in the right direction for Nevada education. As the state continues to prioritize education, backed by a decade of sustained legislative focus, policymakers now face the critical challenge of balancing greater access with stronger accountability to ensure every diploma represents true achievement.