Indicator: High school graduation
Definition
Students graduate from high school with a regular diploma within four, five, and six years of entering high school.
RECOMMENDED METRIC(S)
Adjusted cohort graduation rate (the percentage of first-time 9th graders who graduate with a regular diploma within four, five, and six years of entering high school, regardless of whether they transferred schools)
Type(s) of Data Needed
Administrative dataWhy it matters
High school graduation is a critical milestone along the pathway to a multitude of better life outcomes, including the likelihood of attending college. In contrast, individuals who leave school before earning a high school diploma face bleak economic, social, and health prospects. There are narrowing but persistent gaps in graduation rates for students from low-income households; Black, Latino, and Indigenous students; and emerging multilingual students. For example, in 2019, 93 percent of Asian/Pacific Islander students and 89 percent of White students graduated on time, compared to 82 percent of Latino students, 80 percent of Black students, and 74 percent of Indigenous students.
What to know about measurement
High school completion is regularly reported in administrative data systems, and the metric definition (adjusted cohort graduation rate) has been adopted across the country. However, states (and in some cases, districts) have leeway to set graduation requirements. For example, 17 states specify non-course requirements in addition to course requirements, which also vary. Given significant increases in graduation rates over time and their use for school accountability, there has been some concern that localities are incentivized to “lower the bar” or “game” the calculation of the adjusted cohort rates (for example, by removing certain students from the cohort count). Although some instances of problematic practices have been documented, research suggests standards for graduations have not been lowered and the observed improvements in the data are largely substantiated.
On-time graduation in four years is most commonly reported, as it is the time to graduation that most students should aim to achieve. As such, it is important to ensure equitable outcomes in four-year rates. However, examining four-year graduation rates only can mask the achievements of students who may need more time to graduate (for example, special education students), so we recommend measuring five- and six-year graduation rates as well. Data systems should also collect information on whether students complete a high school equivalency credential.
E-W Case Studies
Source frameworks
This indicator appeared in 13 source frameworks reviewed for this report. Our proposed measure aligns with the CORE Districts’ Improvement Measures, which include four-, five-, and six-year cohort graduation rates.
References
The framework's recommendations are based on syntheses of existing research. Please see the framework report for a list of works cited.