With many schools in Prince George’s County fresh off of mid-May graduation celebrations and a handful more preparing for graduation in June, the number of students walking across the stage to get their diploma this spring is top of mind. Some schools struggle with graduation rates, but if last year is any indication, Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) are on the upswing.
The PGCPS system announced that there has been a notable jump in its graduation rate over several years, with 2024’s class setting a new record. The class of 2024’s graduation rate sits at 80.02%, a 5.6 percentage point increase from the class of 2023 and more than three times higher than Maryland’s graduation rate increase, which was 1.8 points over the past year, according to a PGCPS news release using data from MDReportCard.org.
This 1.8 point increase was made up of 759 students, a third of whom were from Prince George’s County. This has helped bring the state’s overall graduation rate up to 87.6%, which is the highest it has been since 2017.
These increases have largely been driven by Hispanic and Black students, as well as students who speak English as a second language. While the population of Hispanic students in Prince George’s County is smaller than it was in 2023, the graduation rate of these students shot up from 59.7% to 71.3% in 2024. English learners went from a rate of 52.3% to 66.9%, and Black students’ graduation rate increased to 84.7%.
“Our students are not just graduating at higher rates—they are defying the odds and proving that with the right support, anything is possible,” says PGCPS Superintendent Millard House II, in a news release. “This surge in success is a direct result of the hard work of our educators, students, families and community partners.”
