HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION
Averaged freshman graduation rates:
Selected years, 1991 through 2008
High school graduation rates have held steady at 68–75 percent over the last 15 years. The 2008 rate was 71 percent.
Some estimates differ, but trends are similar. The California Department of Education reported a statewide graduation rate of 68 percent in 2008, which it calculated by dividing the number of diplomas issued in 2008 by the number of 9th–graders enrolled four years earlier. That rate has also held fairly steady, within 3 percentage points, over the last 10 years.
SOURCE: Digest of Education Statistics, 2008, Stillwell and Hoffman, 2008, analysis of data from the California Department of Education.
About the Data
Graduation rate: These rates are calculated using the Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate (AFGR) for public high schools, an estimate widely used in the absence of data systems that track individual students over time. AFGR divides total graduates by a "smoothed" estimate of 9th-grade enrollment four years earlier. Ninth-grade enrollment numbers are often inflated due to a large number of students repeating that grade. This method averages the 8th-, 9th-, and 10th-grade enrollment numbers for each cohort of students. Dividing graduates by this "smoothed" estimate yields an arguably more accurate and credible graduation rate, one that is widely recognized and used by the National Center for Education Statistics to compare rates between states.
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION
Percentage of students from 2002 7th-grade cohort enrolled in subsequent grades
Only 55 percent of 7th-grade students from five California districts received regular diplomas six years later, in 2008. Three-quarters of the original group of 7th-grade students made it through the end of 10th grade, and almost 70 percent were promoted to 12th grade. The biggest drop-off—14 percent of all students—occurred between entering 12th grade and receiving a diploma.
At present, longitudinal rates that track the progress of individual students can only be calculated using data from voluntary partnerships like Cal-PASS, an initiative that collects, analyzes, and shares student data among partner districts and institutions. Because of the voluntary nature of Cal-PASS, the longitudinal rate is not necessarily representative of the state as a whole.
Of those students who were enrolled in 12th grade but did not graduate, 56 percent had not passed the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE).
SOURCE: Analysis of Cal-PASS cohort data.
About the Data
Six-year longitudinal rate: This method tracked 15,359 7th-grade students in 5 school districts. These districts were selected to test the longitudinal tracking method and do not necessarily represent California as a whole. These students were enrolled in grade 7 as recorded in the Cal-PASS K–12 Student file. Some attrition is due to student mobility: Cal-PASS cannot track students who leave the state or move to a district that does not participate in Cal-PASS. All information is based on data submitted to Cal-PASS by local education agencies.
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION
Averaged freshman graduation rates in California, by race/ethnicity: 2008
Statewide graduation rates are substantially lower for students of color than for their White and Asian/Pacific Islander peers. In 2008, African American and Hispanic students’ graduation rates were about 20 percentage points lower than White students’ rates and about 30 points lower than Asian/Pacific Islander students’ rates.
SOURCE: Digest of Education Statistics, 2008, Stillwell and Hoffman, 2008, analysis of data from the California Department of Education.
About the Data
Graduation rate: These rates are calculated using the Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate (AFGR) for public high schools, an estimate widely used in the absence of data systems that track individual students over time. AFGR divides total graduates by a "smoothed" estimate of 9th-grade enrollment four years earlier. Ninth-grade enrollment numbers are often inflated due to a large number of students repeating that grade. This method averages the 8th-, 9th-, and 10th-grade enrollment numbers for each cohort of students. Dividing graduates by this "smoothed" estimate yields an arguably more accurate and credible graduation rate, one that is widely recognized and used by the National Center for Education Statistics to compare rates between states.
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION
Six-year longitudinal graduation rate, by race/ethnicity: 2008
More than 60 percent of White and Asian/Pacific Islander students received a diploma six years after they enrolled in 7th grade, but rates are substantially lower for other racial/ethnic categories. Slightly less than 40 percent of African American students in the five-district sample graduated on time.
SOURCE: Analysis of Cal–PASS cohort data.
About the Data
Six-year longitudinal rate: This method tracked 15,359 7th-grade students in five districts until graduation. All information is based on data submitted to Cal-PASS by local education agencies.