Delaware’s four-year high school graduation rate reached 89% for the class of 2025, while multilingual learners made stronger progress toward their English-language goals in 2026, according to the state’s latest accountability results.
The Delaware Department of Education reported Sept. 29 that the adjusted cohort graduation rate edged up from 88.9% for the class of 2024. The rate was 87.8% in 2023 and 87% in 2022; before the pandemic, it stood at 86.7% in 2019.
Several districts posted larger one-year gains. Indian River rose from 82% to 89.6%, Milford from 83.8% to 88.3%, and Christina from 73.2% to 77.9%. The statewide figure is released one year after the graduating class leaves because districts must verify student records before the rate is finalized.
English-language growth also moved higher
Multilingual learners averaged 48.6% of their individual annual English-language growth targets in 2026, up from 46% in 2025 and 42.8% in 2024. That number is not the share of students who became proficient or fully met a target. It represents the average portion of each student’s expected yearly progress that was achieved.
District-level results varied. Seaford increased from 55.7% to 60.9%, Woodbridge from 53.1% to 59.4%, and Smyrna from 44.1% to 52.4. The measure is one component of the Delaware School Success Framework, which also weighs academic achievement, academic growth, school quality, graduation and college or career preparation.
The gains sit alongside a more mixed academic picture. In a separate Sept. 15 release on academic progress, the department said 14 schools exceeded the statewide average for growth in both English language arts and math. That growth measure compares students with academically similar peers and is distinct from proficiency, which reflects whether students meet grade-level standards.
What comes next
Families should not read the 89% graduation figure as a complete verdict on school performance. A diploma rate tracks whether students finish high school within four years, while subject proficiency, attendance and readiness measures answer different questions. Delaware’s framework is designed to combine those indicators rather than rely on one result.
The department plans to release School Quality and Student Success results on Oct. 20 and complete 2026 framework results on Oct. 27. Those releases will provide the broader context needed to compare individual schools and districts.
The state’s education data portal directs families to the public report card for high-level graduation and English-learner indicators and to open datasets for deeper comparisons. That distinction matters because statewide averages can conceal substantial variation among districts, schools and student groups.
The results also establish a baseline for Delaware’s 2025-28 strategic plan, which sets a goal of raising the statewide graduation rate from 89% to 91% by June 2028. The plan also calls for improvements in third-grade reading, eighth-grade math and college-and-career readiness, making the coming accountability releases important for judging whether graduation gains are being matched by stronger academic outcomes.
