Graduation Rates at Salem-Keizer Public Schools Continue to Inch Up

Salem-Keizer Public Schools’ average graduation rate for the class of 2025 improved, marking back-to-back years of slow but steady gains. In data released today by the Oregon Department of Education, the district’s four-year cohort graduation rate of 79.7%, up from 79.4%, represents 2,772 students graduating with either a regular or modified diploma.

Graduating our students with the skills and dispositions to thrive in their future endeavors continues to be one of our most important goals. Our dedicated educators partner with students and families to support each student’s path to graduation, with an eye on readiness for their post-secondary journey. We are proud of our 2025 graduates and are hard at work with the class of 2026 and a continued upward trajectory of achievement.
Deputy Superintendent Danielle Neves.

The district’s largest high school, McKay High School, saw the most notable gains by increasing graduation rates from 77.6% to 83.1%.

“McKay is a place where we do hard things—and we excel,” said McKay High School Principal Ranae Quiring. “We cultivate a strong community and positive culture while continuing to advance academically. Our staff are doing remarkable work, and our students are showing up for themselves every day.”

Concentrating in Career Technical Education programs continued to be a strong indicator of success, as more than 95% of students graduated within four years. Salem-Keizer Public Schools has one of the largest selections of CTE programs in the state.

Five of Salem-Keizer Public Schools’ six comprehensive high schools are above the state average four-year cohort rate of 83%.

The district’s five-year cohort graduation rate of 81.5% represents the success of students who continue enrollment to reach graduation. Five of Salem-Keizer's comprehensive high schools surpassed the state’s average five-year cohort graduation rate of 84.1%.

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the number of students who receive a regular or modified diploma. There are additional ways for students to complete high school, such as attaining an extended diploma or receiving a GED. Taking those options into account, 83.6% of Salem-Keizer students complete high school in four years and 85.8% of students complete high school in five years.

In addition, more than 135 seniors have opted to continue enrollment in the district to complete their high school graduation requirements.

Supporting All Student Populations

Salem-Keizer Public Schools is one of the most diverse districts in the state, with more than 130 languages represented by students and families. Forty-two percent of Salem-Keizer students are reported as experiencing poverty, 19% receive special education services and 14% are considered mobile.

Notable Gains

Notable gains for the SKPS Class of 2025 came from students who identify as multi-racial, improving by 6.4 percentage points over the previous year, rising above the state average for that student group. Rates also improved for Latinx/Hispanic students and Asian students.

The graduation rate for students with disabilities increased by 2.5 percentage points over the previous year. This is the second consecutive year of gains for this student group.

Students recognized as recent arrivers graduated at a rate of 71.5%, realizing a nearly 10 percentage point gain over the previous year and is more than 5 percentage points above the state average.

“These graduation gains reflect our steady commitment to keeping students at the center of every decision we make,” said School Board Chair Cynthia Richardson. “There is still work to do, so in a district as diverse as Salem-Keizer, progress means ensuring more students—across all backgrounds and circumstances—are supported, seen, and able to reach the finish line and be successful.”

Alternative Pathways to High School Completion

At the district’s non-traditional programs, success is more than a graduation rate. At Early College High School, the school’s 100% graduation rate tells the story of 52 students who received unique educational offerings and college credit through a partnership with Chemeketa Community College.

At Roberts High School, 62 students graduated with a regular or modified diploma, 104 students completed high school by either attaining their GED or an extended diploma, and another 62 students are continuing enrollment.

District Dropout Rates

As defined by ODE, a dropout is a student who withdrew from school and did not graduate or transfer to another school, which leads to graduation.

The district’s 2025 dropout rate of 4.2% is a fifth of a percentage point increase over the previous year’s reported dropout rate of 4%.

Class of 2025 Fast Facts

• 2,772 students graduated
• 90 GEDs earned
• 340 students earned a Seal of Biliteracy
• 2,440 students took CTE classes
• $104.4 million in scholarships earned

Additional Points of Pride for SKPS High Schools

Early College High School – 100% (52 Graduates)

• The five-year cohort graduation rate was also 100%
• Biliteracy seals: 20
• Scholarships earned: $15.4 million

McKay – 83.1% (507 Graduates)

• The graduation rate for former English language learners is 93.6%, which is above the state average
• Career and Technical Education concentrators have graduation rates above 95%
• The four-year graduation rate for students with disabilities is 71.4%, which is an improvement by more than 10 percentage points

McNary – 84.5% (430 Graduates)

• McNary’s graduation rate is 1.5 percentage points higher than the state average
• McNary’s five-year cohort graduation rate is 90.5%, more than 6 percentage points above the state average
• CTE participants graduated at a rate of 93% while CTE concentrators graduated at a rate above 95%

North Salem – 81.8% (431 Graduates)

• More than 95% of CTE concentrators graduated
• The graduation rate for Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students increased by nearly 13 percentage points and is above the state average
• Sixty-four students earned their seal of biliteracy

Roberts High School – 17.1% (62 Graduates) | 45.7% Completion Rate (104 Completers)

• The four-year cohort graduation rate improved by 3.2 percentage points over the previous year
• The four-year cohort completer rate improved by 2.8 percentage points over the previous year
• The graduation rate for students experiencing poverty increased by 4.1 percentage points

South Salem – 86.7% (475 Graduates)

• The four-year cohort graduation rate is 3.7 percentage points above the state average
• The graduation rate for Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students increased by 5 percentage points
• The five-year cohort graduation rate is 92%, nearly 8 percentage points above the state average

Sprague – 93.3% (403 Graduates)

• This is Sprague’s eighth consecutive year of being above a 90% graduation rate
• CTE participants and concentrators graduated at a rate above 95%
• Students with disabilities graduated at a rate of 90.9, which is almost 19 percentage points higher than the state average

West Salem – 94.4% (404 Graduates)

• This is West Salem’s seventh consecutive year of being above a 90% graduation rate
• Students identifying as Hispanic or Latino/a/x graduated at a rate of 91.7%
• Students who were former English language learners had a graduation rate of above 95%

Additional Graduation Data

View the full graduation rates on the Oregon Department of Education website.