The 20 states with the best high school graduation rates

• More students are graduating from high school than ever before. In 2017, 84.6% of the national class graduated from high school. 
• While national graduation rates are at an all-time high, some states still graduate far greater percentages of students than others. 
• Continue scrolling below to see if your state made the list. 
• Visit INSIDER's homepage for more stories. 

High school graduation rates nationwide have reached an all-time high, according to US Department of Education data, which found that 84.6% of the 9th graders who started high school in the fall of 2013 walked away with a diploma in hand in the spring of 2017. The reassuring figure is half a percentage point higher than the previous year and reflects a long and steady increase in Americans completing high school in time.

Unfortunately, not all states stack up the same when it comes to graduation rates. INSIDER analyzed National Center for Education Statistics data on graduation rates per state and compared it with an overall public school ranking produced by personal finance site WalletHub to see which states had the highest high school graduation success rates. 

The states with the highest graduation rates tended to correlate with the overall best school system rankings, though there were a few notable exceptions (namely Alabama and West Virginia). The states with the best graduation rates varied in region and size and are representative of every corner of the continental US. Note that all graduation rate statistics are from the 2017 school year and the school system rankings are from 2019.

Continue scrolling below to see if your home state made the list. 

20: Maine's public education system is ranked 15th nationwide, and had an 86.9% graduation rate.

Average high school class size in 2012: 19.9

State spending per student in 2016: $13,278

Student to teacher ratio in 2014: 12.2

Sources:WalletHub, National Center for Education Statistics, Governing.com 

19: Delaware's graduation rate is 86.9, and its public education system ranks 12th overall.

Average high school class size in 2012: 25.8

State spending per student in 2016: $14,713

Student to teacher ratio in 2014: 13.9

Sources:WalletHub, National Center for Education Statistics, Governing.com 

18: Illinois' school system ranks 16th nationally and it has an 87% graduation rate.

State graduation rate: 87%

Average high school class size in 2012: 27.7

State spending per student in 2016: $14,180

Student to teacher ratio in 2014: 15.5 

Sources: WalletHub, National Center for Education Statistics, Governing.com 

17: North Dakota has the ninth-best public education system and an 87.2% graduation rate.

State graduation rate: 87.2% 

Average high school class size in 2012: 19.2

State spending per student in 2016: $13,373  

Student to teacher ratio in 2014: 11.8

Sources: WalletHub, National Center for Education Statistics, Governing.com 

16: Maryland's public education system ranks 19th nationally and has an 87.7% graduation rate.

State graduation rate: 87.7%

Average high school class size in 2012: N/A 

State spending per student in 2016:  $15,593

Student to teacher ratio in 2014: 14.8

Sources:WalletHub, National Center for Education Statistics, Governing.com 

15: Connecticut has an 87.9% graduation rate and the state's public system is ranked third-best in the US.

State graduation rate: 87.9% 

Average high school class size in 2012: 22

State spending per student in 2016: $18,958

Student to teacher ratio in 2014: 12.9

Sources: WalletHub, National Center for Education Statistics, Governing.com 

14: Arkansas' education system ranks 41st, yet 88% of its high schoolers still managed to graduate within four years.

State graduation rate: 88% 

Average high school class size in 2012: 25.4

State spending per student in 2016: $9,846

Student to teacher ratio in 2014: 13.9

Sources: WalletHub, National Center for Education Statistics, Governing.com 

13: Missouri's public school system ranks 30th nationally and it has an 88.3% graduation rate.

State graduation rate: 88.3%

Average high school class size in 2012: 26.8

State spending per student in 2016:  $10,313

Student to teacher ratio in 2014: 13.6

Sources: WalletHub, National Center for Education Statistics, Governing.com 

12: Massachusetts' schools are ranked best in the nation, and has an 88.3% graduation rate.

Surprisingly, though, Massachusetts' graduation rate was just .3% higher than Missouri, whose public school system ranks 30th across the country.

State graduation rate: 88.3%

Average high school class size in 2012: 24.5

State spending per student in 2016:  $15,593

Student to teacher ratio in 2014: 13.3

Sources: WalletHub, National Center for Education Statistics, Governing.com 

11: Wisconsin has the 11th best public education system and a graduation rate of 88.6%.

State graduation rate: 88.6% 

Average high school class size in 2012: 27.9

State spending per student in 2016:  $11,456

Student to teacher ratio in 2014: 14.9  

Sources: WalletHub, National Center for Education Statistics, Governing.com 

10: New Hampshire's education system ranks 7th nationally and has an 88.9% graduation rate.

State graduation rate: 88.9% 

Average high school class size in 2012: 21.7

State spending per student in 2016:  $15,340

Student to teacher ratio in 2014: 12.5

Sources: WalletHub, National Center for Education Statistics, Governing.com 

9: Vermont has the fifth-best education system and a graduation rate of 89.1%.

State graduation rate: 89.1% 

Average high school class size in 2012: 19.8

State spending per student in 2016:  $17,873

Student to teacher ratio in 2014: 10.6

Sources: WalletHub, National Center for Education Statistics, Governing.com 

8: Nebraska's education system ranks eighth overall and has an 89.1% graduation rate.

State graduation rate: 89.1%

Average high school class size in 2012: 23.5

State spending per student in 2016:  $15,340

Student to teacher ratio in 2014: 13.6 

Sources: WalletHub, National Center for Education Statistics, Governing.com 

7: Alabama's school system ranks 46th, but it has an 89.3%.graduation rate.

State graduation rate: 89.3% 

Average high school class size in 2012: 27.4

State spending per student in 2016:  $9,236

Student to teacher ratio in 2014: 17.4 

Sources: WalletHub, National Center for Education Statistics, Governing.com 

6: West Virginia's public school system ranks 47th, but has an 89.4% graduation rate.

State graduation rate: 89.4%

Average high school class size in 2012: 24

State spending per student in 2016: $11,291

Student to teacher ratio in 2014: 14

Sources: WalletHub, National Center for Education Statistics, Governing.com 

5: Texas' education system ranks 33rd nationally and has an 89.7% graduation rate.

State graduation rate: 89.7% 

Average high school class size in 2012: 26.9

State spending per student in 2016:  $9,016

Student to teacher ratio in 2014: 15.3 

Sources: WalletHub, National Center for Education Statistics, Governing.com 

4: Kentucky has the 13th best national education system and an 89.7% graduation rate.

State graduation rate: 89.7% 

Average high school class size in 2012: 26.6

State spending per student in 2016:  $9,863

Student to teacher ratio in 2014: 16.6 

Sources: WalletHub, National Center for Education Statistics, Governing.com 

3: Tennessee has the 34th best public education system in the US and a graduation rate of 89.8%.

State graduation rate: 89.8% 

Average high school class size in 2012: 26.9

State spending per student in 2016:  $8,810

Student to teacher ratio in 2014: 15.2

Sources: WalletHub, National Center for Education Statistics, Governing.com 

2: New Jersey's graduation rate is 90.5%, which shouldn't be a surprise since their school system as whole ranks second in the nation.

State graduation rate: 90.5% 

Average high school class size in 2012: 23.9

State spending per student in 2016:  $18,402

Student to teacher ratio in 2014: 12.2

Sources: WalletHub, National Center for Education Statistics, Governing.com 

1: No other state has a higher high school graduation rate than Iowa. The state ranks 14th in public school performance but managed a 91% graduation rate.

State graduation rate: 91%

Average high school class size in 2012: 27.4

State spending per student in 2016:  $11,150

Student to teacher ratio in 2014: 14.2

Sources: WalletHub, National Center for Education Statistics, Governing.com