Dropout and Graduation Rates

There are many different ways to calculate and document dropout or graduation rates. When you read a report on the dropout problem, always pay attention to how the dropout rates are calculated. Following is a brief review of different measures:

• The annual dropout rate is the percentage of students who leave school without a diploma during a single year. This is the most commonly used figure but it can be misleading, especially in areas with high migration.

• A four-year dropout rate measures the percentage of a ninth grade cohort that leave school without a diploma within a four year period. It is a projected measurement based on the annual rate of a given class over four years. This figure can show be used to show how likely it is for a new student in a school or district to finish within a normal time period.

• Similar to the four year dropout rate, the graduation rate (or on-time graduation rate) is the percentage of students who graduate from a school or district within a period of time. If the period of time is four years, this figure will usually be listed as the “on-time graduation rate.” Sometimes a five-year period is used. Sometimes students who earn a GED are counted as “graduated.”

• The status dropout rate shows how many dropouts are within a population based on census information. This rate is useful because children of dropouts are at greater risk of becoming dropouts themselves and so it can determine the scale of the challenge facing a given community. It does not say anything, however, about the job schools are doing retaining students at the present.

Wiki Articles
Graduation Rate Calculation
Graduation Counts Report
Dropout Rate by State