Featured answer: Everett Public Schools announced a 96.3% four-year on-time graduation rate for the class of 2025 — the highest in the district’s history. Cascade High School led district high schools at 96.6%, up from 94.6% the prior year.

Everett School District’s Graduation Rate Just Hit a New Record — Here’s What’s Behind It

Everett Public Schools just logged the highest four-year graduation rate in the district’s history — 96.3% for the class of 2025. The number was announced by the district and confirmed by regional news coverage including KING 5 and My Everett News in fall 2025. For parents across Everett’s neighborhoods, it is a number worth unpacking — because what that figure actually means is not just a press release, it is a story about what a school district can do when the adults in it stay focused for a long time.

The headline is simple. Over 96 out of every 100 Everett Public Schools students in the class of 2025 graduated on time with their four-year cohort. But the number behind the number is the part Everett families should pay attention to.

What the 96.3% actually represents

Washington’s Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction tracks graduation by cohort — meaning the state follows the group of ninth-graders who entered a district together and measures how many of them graduate four years later. The on-time graduation rate is the percentage of that cohort who graduate in four school years, with their original class.

That methodology matters because it is harder to game than a simple “how many diplomas did you hand out this year” count. Students who transfer out, students who take a fifth year, and students who drop out all show up in the math. When Everett Public Schools reports 96.3%, it means 96.3% of the class that started ninth grade in the 2021–22 school year graduated in June 2025 with their classmates.

For context, the Washington State Report Card publishes statewide and district-level graduation data each year. Everett Public Schools has tracked above the state average for years, and this new figure extends that trend into record territory.

Who led the district’s high schools

The district is anchored by three comprehensive high schools — Cascade High School, Everett High School, and Jackson High School — along with smaller choice and alternative programs. According to the district’s announcement, Cascade High School led the year’s gains with a 96.6% graduation rate, up from 94.6% the year before. The other high schools moved in the same direction.

District officials credited the improvement to sustained, school-by-school work rather than a single initiative. In the district’s announcement, Jeanne Willard, Everett Public Schools’ executive director of college and career readiness, framed the number as a reflection of student effort: “This record graduation rate reflects the incredible resilience and determination of our students.”

Superintendent Ian B. Saltzman attributed the result to a collaborative effort across the district — staff, counselors, families, and students — rather than any single program.

The longer arc

Context matters. Everett Public Schools’ graduation story over the last twenty-plus years has been one of the most documented turnarounds in Washington. A Seattle Times Education Lab profile from several years ago traced the district’s climb from the low-60% range in the early 2000s to well into the 90s — a turnaround that included targeted early-warning systems, attendance intervention, and a push to track individual students at risk of falling behind, rather than treating graduation as a problem to address in a student’s senior year.

What the 2025 number shows is that trajectory has not plateaued. In a decade when many districts nationally are working to recover from pandemic-era disruption, Everett has kept the number going up.

What parents in Everett’s neighborhoods should know

For parents choosing between neighborhoods, this is real information. A 96.3% district graduation rate means that across the Everett Public Schools service area — which includes most of Everett’s neighborhoods as well as parts of Mill Creek and unincorporated Snohomish County — a student enrolled in the district is, statistically, very likely to finish high school on time.

That does not mean every student at every school has the same experience. Individual school rates, AP and IB participation, college-going rates after graduation, and a student’s own engagement all matter. Parents who want the more granular picture can pull any school’s data directly from the Washington State Report Card, which breaks down graduation rates by subgroup and by year. That is the most honest tool available for looking at what a given school is actually doing, separate from district-level averages.

What’s not in the number

A graduation rate is a powerful indicator but it does not measure everything. It does not tell you what percentage of graduates are going to four-year colleges, to two-year programs, to trades or apprenticeships, or straight to the workforce. It does not tell you about school climate, counselor-to-student ratios, discipline disparities, or whether students feel known at their school.

Those data points exist — the state report card publishes most of them — and Everett Public Schools publishes its own annual reports. For families making real decisions about where to live and where to enroll, the graduation rate is a good starting point, not the whole story. It is also, right now, a very good starting point.

How Everett compares

Washington’s statewide graduation rate has hovered around 84% in recent reporting cycles. Everett’s 96.3% puts it more than 12 percentage points above that average. Nationally, the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate has been in the high-80s range in recent federal reporting. Everett is meaningfully outperforming both.

Within Snohomish County, Everett Public Schools is one of several districts that have been in the 90%+ graduation club, but the 2025 figure is the district’s own personal best.

What this means for the next few years

Districts tend to measure themselves against last year’s number. If Everett keeps that habit, the bar is now 96.3%. Holding ground at that level is as hard as getting there. District leadership has signaled that the strategy for the next several years is to keep strengthening the same early-warning and intervention systems that got the district here, rather than trying something new to chase a different metric.

For families enrolled in Everett schools now — and for parents watching neighborhood school options in places like Silver Lake, Delta, Lowell, Bayside, and Boulevard Bluffs — the practical takeaway is that the district has built something durable. That is not a guarantee for any one student. But it is a real reason to feel good about sending your kid to an Everett school.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was Everett Public Schools’ graduation rate for 2025?

Everett Public Schools reported a four-year on-time graduation rate of 96.3% for the class of 2025, the highest in the district’s history.

Which Everett high school had the biggest increase?

Cascade High School led district high schools at 96.6%, up from 94.6% the year before.

How does Everett compare to Washington state’s graduation rate?

Washington’s statewide on-time graduation rate has recently been around 84%. Everett Public Schools at 96.3% is more than 12 percentage points above the state average.

Where can I see official graduation data for an individual Everett school?

The Washington State Report Card publishes graduation data for every school and district in the state, including Everett Public Schools and each of its high schools.

Who is the superintendent of Everett Public Schools?

Ian B. Saltzman is the superintendent of Everett Public Schools.

What neighborhoods does Everett Public Schools serve?

Everett Public Schools serves most Everett neighborhoods, plus parts of Mill Creek and unincorporated Snohomish County. Some southern Everett neighborhoods are served by Mukilteo School District. Families can verify school assignment via the district’s attendance boundary tools.

Does a district graduation rate mean every school is the same?

No. A district-level rate averages across all high schools. Cascade, Everett, and Jackson each have their own individual graduation rates, along with alternative and choice programs. The Washington State Report Card breaks those down school by school.