High school graduation rates for Long Island's Class of 2021
In Mastic Beach, 39 seniors turned their tassels to the left as August graduates of William Floyd High School. Credit: William Floyd School District
High school graduation rates topped 92% for the Class of 2021 on Long Island, according to state education officials.
Statewide, the proportion of seniors earning diplomas showed modest improvement as well, up to over 86%. Education officials noted that students were granted widespread exemptions from taking Regents exams during the pandemic and that this affected the outcome.
In the Nassau-Suffolk region, the 2021 graduation rate rose to 92.2%, up from 91.5% in 2020. Rates include both seniors who graduated in June, and a smaller number who finished in August.
On the Island, 27,858 graduates out of 33,538 were exempted from one or more Regents exams due to COVID-19 disruptions.
The proportion of Island students obtaining advanced diplomas, signifying completion of upper-level courses such as physics and geometry, went up to 61.5% in 2021, compared with 58.4% the prior year. Rising figures reflect a statewide trend that has stretched over the past decade, in normal years as well as more recent times affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.