High school graduation is the culmination of a successful K-12 education and the gateway to college or employment. Students who do not graduate face the prospect of unemployment or low-paying jobs.

The cohort graduation rate for the Class of 2020 was 89%, up 12 percentage points from 2010. In 2019, the latest year for which comparable national data is available, Arkansas was 16th in the nation for this indicator, an improvement from its rank of 25th in 2015. According to state-level 2020 data, graduation rates for different student groups were not as different as in other education indicators: 94% for Asians, 91% for white students, 87% for Hispanic and 84% for Black students, 86% for economically disadvantaged students, 84% for students with disabilities, and 85% for English language learners. The growth since 2010 has been strongest for Asian (+17 points), Black (+15 points), Hispanic (+17 points), and English language learners (+16 points) students. In-line with national trends, female graduation rates (91%) were higher than those of males (86%).

Graduation rate refers to the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR), which tracks student cohort groups from the beginning of 9th grade and follows their progress through 12th grade. The AGCR calculates the initial cohort size using first-time 9th grade students and is adjusted for students who transfer in, transfer out and enroll in another school. Students who obtain a GED instead of a high school diploma are not counted as graduates, but students who graduate prior to the expected four-year time period are included. National data is from the National Center for Education Statistics.

The Target Achievement Gap Group is made up of students in the economically disadvantaged, English language learner, or students with disabilities subgroups.