New Jersey Moves to Eliminate High School Graduation Exam

State Assembly passes bill to scrap Graduation Proficiency Assessment requirement

Feb. 5, 2026 at 7:39pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

The New Jersey state Assembly has quietly passed a bill to eliminate the Graduation Proficiency Assessment, the core high school graduation requirement in the state. The drive is now on to get the state Senate and new Governor Mikie Sherrill to approve the measure, which proponents claim will address bias and reduce student stress, but critics argue will simply hide educational inequities.

Why it matters

Eliminating basic academic standards like exit exams is a growing nationwide trend, with the number of states requiring such tests dropping from around 30 to just 11 over the past 25 years. Critics warn this move will condemn future students to ignorance in the name of racial justice, while supporters claim the test is biased and causes undue stress.

The details

The New Jersey Assembly quietly passed a bill late last year to eliminate the Graduation Proficiency Assessment, the state's core high school graduation requirement. The drive is now on to get the state Senate and new Governor Mikie Sherrill to approve the measure. This comes after Governor Phil Murphy suspended the exam requirement for the classes of 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic, and the Legislature blocked it again in 2023, although the Senate has not yet gone along with fully eliminating it.

  • The New Jersey Assembly passed the bill to eliminate the graduation exam late last year.
  • Governor Phil Murphy suspended the exam requirement for the classes of 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic.
  • The New Jersey Legislature blocked the exam again in 2023, but the state Senate has not yet approved fully eliminating it.

The players

Mikie Sherrill

The new Governor of New Jersey who will decide whether to approve the measure to eliminate the high school graduation exam.

Phil Murphy

The former Governor of New Jersey who suspended the graduation exam requirement during the pandemic.

Chris Cerf

A former New Jersey Education Commissioner who warns that eliminating uniform metrics like exit exams hides educational inequities.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“When policymakers eliminate a uniform metric, they don't eliminate inequity. They hide it.”

— Chris Cerf, Former New Jersey Education Commissioner

What’s next

The bill to eliminate the Graduation Proficiency Assessment now heads to the New Jersey State Senate, where it will need to be approved before going to Governor Sherrill's desk for a final decision.

The takeaway

This move to scrap New Jersey's high school graduation exam is part of a broader nationwide trend of eliminating basic academic standards, which critics warn will simply hide educational inequities rather than address them. The outcome will have major implications for the future of public education in the state.