Data highlight
Oklahoma ranks 37 (of 50) for the percentage of women who graduate high school. New Hampshire has the highest percentage of female high school graduates, at 95%. California has the lowest, at 84.8%.
Oklahoma ranks 37 (of 50) for the percentage of women who graduate high school. New Hampshire has the highest percentage of female high school graduates, at 95%. California has the lowest, at 84.8%.
Percentage of female adults age 25 and older with at least a high school diploma or equivalent in 2024.
Source: America’s Health Rankings
In Oklahoma, the requirements to graduate from high school vary by location, type of school, and the curriculum choices of parents/guardians.
In general, they include completing credits in language arts, math, science, computer technology, and social studies. Additionally, students must pass specific exams and may need to complete a career/academic plan.
The correlation between education and health is well documented. Adolescents who do not graduate high school are more likely to experience poor health outcomes, including higher rates of chronic illness and lower life expectancy, compared to those that do.
As with college education attainment (see Women with a College Degree), job stability and greater earning potential are the two most immediate benefits women who graduate from high school enjoy. These factors play an important role in reducing women’s risk of experiencing income driven health disparities or being uninsured.
School can play a key role in improving students mental wellbeing, especially for those who have experienced trauma (see ACEs Reported). This support is especially important for girls, who are more likely to be diagnosed with depression or anxiety compared to their male counterparts (see Depression and Anxiety). When students feel connected to their academic environment and peers, they’re more likely to have positive academic and behavioral outcomes, and less likely to engage in high risk behaviors. Further, the networks young people build in school expose them to new ideas and pathways to opportunities they may not have otherwise.
Safe communities play a notable role in improving graduation rates and related health outcomes among women (see Built Environment). Unsafe commutes to school or learning environments may lead girls to skip school or drop out entirely. By reducing violence in communities, girls can feel comfortable and confident pursuing their educational goals.
Finishing high school is especially challenging – yet all the more important – for girls who become pregnant during their teenage years (see Teen Birth Rate). One analysis found that 51% of teen mothers and 84% of non-teen mothers earned a high school diploma by age 30. When teen mothers graduate high school, the benefits extend to their children: kids of teen mothers who finished high school are also more likely to graduate themselves later on.
The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) publishes in-depth data on school performance, which includes high school graduation rates disaggregated by gender. During the 2024-2025 school year, 77.6% of females enrolled in the state’s public school system graduated in 4 years – a drop from 85.1% in 2023-2024. Further, as of 2025, 85.8% of girls graduated within 5 years, and 86.8% graduated by year 6.
While states are required to report high school graduation rates disaggregated by a variety of demographics to the US Department of Education, gender isn’t one of them. So while we have a clear, annually-updated picture of how many women in Oklahoma are graduating, we have to look at the number of women without a diploma to benchmark our progress.
This issue brief was written by Metriarch staff as part of our Data Lookbook.
Suggested citation
Metriarch. “Education,” Data Lookbook (2025). URL: metriarchok.org/women-with-a-high-school-degree.
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