Baltimore, MD – According to FOX Baltimore, Maryland’s high school dropout rate climbed to a 13-year high in 2025, even as state and local funding for public education reached record levels.
The four-year high school dropout rate in Maryland increased from 7.4% in 2021 to 9.9% in 2025, marking a 33% rise over five school years. This surge occurred despite significant financial investments in the state’s education system. Combined state and local funding for PreK-12 public education grew by approximately 16%, from $12.3 billion in 2023 to $14.3 billion in 2025.
Governor Wes Moore highlighted the state’s commitment to education during his State of the State address earlier this month. He proposed a historic $10 billion for public schools, describing these as targeted investments to achieve the nation’s best public education system. However, recent data analyzed by Project Baltimore revealed that more students are leaving school before graduation, prompting questions about the effectiveness of the increased spending.
Dr. Carey Wright, Maryland’s State Superintendent of Schools, acknowledged the concerning trend. She emphasized that dropout issues vary by district and that the state is supporting local superintendents to address them. “It’s always a problem when you don’t have children in school,” Wright stated. “What we’re trying to do is to let superintendents know that we’re here to help them.”
The impact is particularly stark in the Baltimore region. Baltimore City Schools reported the state’s highest dropout rate at 20.8%, the district’s worst in 15 years. Officials there attributed the increase partly to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Baltimore County Public Schools saw its rate rise to 12.2%, a 14-year high, with similar explanations involving pandemic recovery and concerns among Hispanic and multilingual learners related to federal immigration enforcement.
Dr. Barbara Dezmon, former Education Chair of the Maryland State Conference of the NAACP, offered a different perspective. She argued that internal school system failures, leading to repeated student frustration and failure, drive the dropouts. “These children go to school year after year, failing,” Dezmon said. “Why go to a place that makes you feel bad about yourself?”
Wright countered that attributing the rise solely to educational frustration oversimplifies the issue. She pointed to ongoing pandemic fallout and immigration policy uncertainties as major factors, noting challenges in convincing parents of school safety. Federal immigration enforcement changes did not occur until 2025, yet the dropout trend began earlier in 2021.
This development coincides with broader concerns about student outcomes. Maryland’s four-year high school graduation rate dipped slightly from 87.2% in 2021 to 86.4% in 2025, despite the influx of funds under the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a 2021 law injecting billions into education over the next decade. The Blueprint aims to raise teacher salaries, expand pre-K programs, and enhance career and technical education.
As Maryland education leaders grapple with these challenges, the state continues to invest heavily in public schools. For instance, since 2021, the number of non-instructional staff has increased by 25%, while instructional staff grew by 7%. Economically disadvantaged students have shown some proficiency gains outpacing overall trends, according to the Accountability and Implementation Board overseeing the Blueprint.
The rising dropout rate underscores the need for targeted interventions to ensure that increased funding translates into better retention and success for high school students. Local districts, particularly in urban areas like Baltimore City Schools and Baltimore County, face heightened scrutiny to address underlying causes and support at-risk youth. State officials remain committed to collaboration with schools to reverse the trend and fulfill promises of educational excellence. For more information, visit FOX Baltimore.