Salem High Schools Post Highest Graduation Rate Since 2014-15
New Liberty Innovation School vaunts highest-ever graduation rate, lowest dropout rate
SALEM (Mar. 6, 2026) – The combined graduation rate of all three high schools at Salem Public Schools – New Liberty Innovation School, Salem Prep High School and Salem High School – increased by more than 4.7% from one year ago based on the statewide school graduation rates released by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) on Thursday, March 5th.
Salem’s cumulative graduation rate jumped from 81.6% in 2023-24 to 86.3% in 2024-25. Salem High School’s graduation rate was 89.5% and New Liberty Innovation School’s graduation rate was 69.3%.
“These historically high graduation rates are yet another reflection of the dedication of our students and the commitment of our educators,” said Mayor Dominick Pangallo, who chairs the Salem School Committee. “Salem Public Schools are excelling in so many ways, and we’re all-in on our students’ success in the classroom and beyond. I want to congratulate our scholars and thank the teachers, administrators, and community members who support them and help make these kinds of achievements possible. There’s always more work to do, of course, but this announcement is a strong validation that Salem Public Schools continues to be among the leading public school districts in our Commonwealth.”
Additionally, the District’s dropout rate – 1.7% – is the lowest figure since 2014-15 and exceeded the Strategic Plan’s goal of 2.0%. Over the last five years, the dropout rate has declined by a startling 67% (from 5.2% to 1.7%).
“It has been a constant on the part of our educators to make certain every student remains on track through extra support, strong relationships and communication with families,” said Superintendent, Dr. Stephen Zrike. “We’re proud of our students who understand the importance of obtaining a high school diploma as an important step to being college and career ready. Students have risen to the grade-level expectations and fully immersed themselves in the opportunities provided and the support offered.”
Notable is the consistent increase in Salem’s graduation rates from 2019-20, the Covid-19 pandemic year, in which Salem’s graduate rate was 73.9%.
The largest number of graduates attend Salem High School where the graduation and dropout rate were the second best in the school’s history: 89.5% of students graduated while 1% of the student body left school last year. Of note is that Latino/Hispanic students had the highest graduation rate at Salem High School with 90.1% of students graduating. This is a 21.5 percentage point increase since the 2019-20 school year. Further the graduation rate for multilingual learners has grown over this period by 28.3 percentage points (from 58.7% to 87%). Also of note, the multilingual graduation rate is the highest in Salem High School’s history.
“At Salem High School, our graduation rate reflects the relentless commitment of our scholars, families, and educators. Every graduate represents a young person that has overcome obstacles, discovered their strengths, and walked across the stage prepared for the college and career opportunities ahead of them,” said Principal Glenn Burns. “The rising graduation rates are occurring alongside significant growth in career technical education pathways and advanced coursework enrollment, expanding opportunities for Salem High scholars to pursue rigorous academics and real-world career preparation after high school.”
New Liberty Innovation School, which posted a 69.2% graduation rate in 2024-25 – its highest figure on record – vastly improved from 38.9% in 2023-24. Also notable was its dropout rate improvement from 15% in 2023-24 to 11%, also its lowest on record, in 2024-25.
“This is a collective effort from District leadership and our support team to our educators and, most importantly, our students,” said Principal Jamaal Camah. “They are always at the center of our work; we are here to facilitate and guide them along their journey. There is still work to be done to ensure every student receives the education that best prepares them for life after high school. Graduation is not the goalpost; it is the 50-yard line. We are immensely proud of the all-encompassing effort from our entire District.”
For Salem Prep High School, its small enrollment makes it difficult to make annual comparisons, but its graduation rates factor into Salem’s rate of 86.3% and dropout rate of 1.7%.
About Salem Public Schools
Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district in Salem, Massachusetts, a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history. Our leaders and our teachers are passionate about education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement with equity and social-emotional needs as the lens through which we view our work. We respect and value the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of our students and their families, and have a strong commitment to the Salem community. Salem Public Schools staff unconditionally serves each of our 4,000 students across 11 schools regardless of ability or language.
