U.S. Department of Education 

NCES 2006–606 

The Averaged 

Freshman 

Graduation Rate 

for Public High 

Schools From the 

Common Core of 

Data: School 

Years 2002-03 

and 2003-04 

E.D. TAB 
U.S. Department of Education 

NCES 2006–606

The Averaged 

Freshman 

Graduation Rate 

for Public High 

Schools From the 

Common Core of 

Data: School 

Years 2002-03 

and 2003-04 

June 2006 

Marilyn Seastrom 

Lee Hoffman 

Chris Chapman

National Center for 

Education Statistics

Robert Stillwell 

Education Statistics 

Services Institute
U.S. Department of Education 

Margaret Spellings 

Secretary 

Institute of Education Sciences 

Grover J. Whitehurst 

Director 

National Center for Education Statistics 

Mark Schneider 

Commissioner 

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Suggested Citation: 

Seastrom, M., Hoffman, L., Chapman, C. and Stillwell, R. (2006). The Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate for Public High 

Schools From the Common Core of Data: School Years 2002–03 and 2003-04 (NCES 2006–606). U.S. Department of 

Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC. 

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 U.S. Department of Education 

 ED Pubs 

 PO Box 1398 

 Jessup, MD 20794–398 

Call toll free 1-877-4ED-PUBS or order online at www.edpubs.org

Content Contact: 

Marilyn Seastrom 

202-502-7303 

Marilyn.Seastrom@ed.gov

 
iii 

Acknowledgments 

The authors appreciate the comments and suggestions of the NCES reviewers, Jack Buckley, Jeffrey 

Owings, and Val Plisko, and the IES reviewer, Duc-Le To. 

Terri Kennerly and Dell Gray of the U.S. Census Bureau were responsible for editing and verifying the 

graduate data; Carol Rohr of Pinkerton Computer Consultants, Inc. formatted the text and tables. All 

deserve thanks for these improvements. 

The greatest thanks are owed to the CCD Coordinators for the 50 states and 8 other jurisdictions who 

voluntarily report CCD data each year. This work is in addition to their other professional duties, and 

NCES is grateful for these Coordinators’ efforts. 
iv 
v 

Contents 

Acknowledgments........................................................................................................................................iii 

List of Tables ............................................................................................................................................... vi 

Summary of Findings.................................................................................................................................... 1 

 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 1 

 Highlights ............................................................................................................................................... 2 

 Data Limitations ..................................................................................................................................... 3 

For More Information ................................................................................................................................... 4 

References................................................................................................................................................... 11
vi 

List of Tables 

Table 1. Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate for the 2002-03 and 2003-04 school years, by state ....... 5 

Table 2. Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate and components for school year 2002–03, by state ........ 7 

Table 3. Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate and components for school year 2003–04, by state ........ 9 
1

Summary of Findings 

Introduction 

This report presents the Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate (AFGR) for public school students for two 

school years—2002-03 and 2003-04. The data for this collection were reported to the National Center for 

Education Statistics (NCES) by state education agencies (SEAs) and represent high school graduates between 

October 1, 2002 and September 30, 2003 and between October 1, 2003 and September 30, 2004. All 50 states 

and the District of Columbia reported counts of high school graduates for school year 2002-03; however only 

48 states and the District of Columbia reported counts of high school graduates in 2003-04. 

The Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate provides an estimate of the percentage of high school students who 

graduate on time by dividing the number of graduates with regular diplomas by the size of the incoming 

freshman class 4 years earlier, expressed as a percent. The rate uses aggregate student enrollment data to 

estimate the size of an incoming freshman class and aggregate counts of the number of diplomas awarded 4 

years later. The size of the incoming freshman class is estimated by summing the enrollment in eighth grade 

in one year, ninth grade for the next year, and tenth grade for the year after and then dividing by three. The 

averaging is intended to account for prior year retentions in the ninth grade (see discussion of data limitations 

for additional information). Although not as accurate as an on-time graduation rate computed from a cohort of 

students using student record data, this estimate of an on-time graduation rate can be computed with currently 

available data. The AFGR was selected from a number of alternative estimates that can be calculated using 

cross-sectional data based on a technical review and analysis of those estimates (NCES 2006-604, NCES 

2006-605 forthcoming). 

The counts of enrollments by grade and graduates are from the Common Core of Data (CCD) State Nonfiscal 

Survey of Public Elementary/Secondary Education. Graduates include those students who are reported as 

diploma recipients. These are individuals who are awarded, in a given year, a regular high school diploma or 

a diploma that recognizes some higher level of academic achievement. They can be thought of as students 

who meet or exceed the coursework and performance standards for high school completion established by the 

state or other relevant authorities. Other high school completers who were awarded alternate credentials such 

as a certificate of completion and equivalency recipients (e.g., individuals receiving credentials based on the 

General Education Development, or GED, test) are not included because they are not regular graduates. 

Although enrollments are reported by grade, some states report ungraded students. To adjust for this, the 

allocation procedure used in the Common Core of Data, “Local Education Agency Universe Survey Dropout 

and Completion Data File” was applied to enrollment data from the State Nonfiscal Survey of Public 

Elementary/Secondary Education. Through this process the data for ungraded enrollment counts were 

redistributed across grades in proportion to the graded enrollment of the state. These redistributed counts of 

ungraded enrollments were added to the reported enrollment counts for the eighth, ninth, and tenth grades.1 

Averaged Freshman Graduation Rates for the nation and for each state in 2002-03 and 2003-04 are reported 

in table 1.2 The 2002-03 rates are repeated in table 2 along with the counts of graduates and eighth, ninth, and 

tenth grade enrollments that were used for each population. Table 3 includes the same six columns of data for 

2003-04 graduation rates. Finally, an Excel spreadsheet that includes these estimates is available for 

download with the web version of this report. 

For the 2002-03 school year, the averaged freshman graduation rate for public schools in the nation is based 

on the 2,719,947 public school diploma recipients reported for school year 2002-03, divided by the average of 

_______________ 1 In this procedure, the ungraded enrollment is subtracted from the total enrollment to get the total graded enrollment; the 

reported enrollment in each grade is used to compute the proportion of graded students in each grade; these proportions 

are multiplied by the count of ungraded students to allocate the ungraded students across the individual grades; the counts 

of ungraded students allocated to each grade are added to the reported enrollments by grade. Ungraded enrollments 

account for approximately 1 percent of enrollments each year. 

2 In 2003-04, the national total does not include data for two states that did not report diploma counts. 
2

the 3,529,963 eighth-grade public school enrollment reported for October 1998-99, the 3,986,992 ninth-grade 

public school enrollment reported for October 1999-2000, and the 3,529,652 tenth-grade public school 

enrollment reported for October 2000-01. The 2,719,947 diploma recipients divided by the 3,682,202 

averaged number of freshmen, multiplied by 100 results in a 2002-03 public school graduation rate for the 

United States of 73.9 percent. The same formula was applied to compute the 2002-03 averaged freshman 

graduation rate for public school students in each state. 

For the 2003-04 school year, the averaged freshman graduation rate for public schools in the 48 reporting 

states and the District of Columbia is based on the 2,548,128 diploma recipients in school year 2003-04, 

divided by the average of the 3,261,969 eighth-grade student enrollment reported for October 1999-2000, the 

3,669,077 ninth-grade student enrollment reported for October 2000-01, and the 3,259,701 tenth-grade 

student enrollment reported for October 2001-02. The 2,548,128 public school diploma recipients divided by 

the 3,396,916 averaged number of public school freshmen, multiplied by 100 results in a 2003-04 public 

school graduation rate for the United States of 75.0 percent. The same formula is applied to compute the 

2003-04 AFGR for public school students in each state. 

In order to compare across years, the number of diploma recipients was estimated for the two states with 

missing diploma counts for 2003-04. To do this, the 2002-03 averaged freshman graduation rates for 

Wisconsin and New York were applied to the average of the grade specific enrollment data in the state for 

grade 8 in 1999-2000, grade 9 in 2000-01, and grade 10 in 2001-02. Thus, assuming no change in the 

graduation rates in these two states, the estimated count of graduates for the nation was 2,751,130 and 

corresponding averaged number of public school freshmen was 3,704,001—for an estimated averaged 

freshman graduation rate for the nation of 74.3 percent.3

Highlights 

• The Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate yields a 2002-03 graduation rate for public school students 

in the United States of 73.9 percent (tables 1 and 2). The 2003-04 rate for the 48 reporting states and 

the District of Columbia was 75.0 percent; and the estimated 2003-04 rate for the nation, assuming no 

change in the rates in the two states without diploma counts, was 74.3 percent when counts of 

diploma recipients are estimated for the two states with missing data. In summary, approximately 

three quarters of freshmen nationwide graduated from high school on time in these 2 years (tables 1 

and 3). 

• For the class of 2002-03, the averaged freshman graduation rate for public schools ranged from 59.6 

percent in the District of Columbia to 87.0 percent in New Jersey (tables 1 and 2). Fourteen states 

had rates of 80.0 percent or higher—Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New 

Jersey, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Ten 

states and the District of Columbia had rates below 70.0 percent—Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, 

Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, South Carolina, and Tennessee. 

• For the class of 2003-04, the Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate for public schools ranged from a 

low of 57.4 percent in Nevada to a high of 87.6 in Nebraska (tables 1 and 3). Fifteen states had rates 

of 80.0 percent or higher—Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, 

Nebraska, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, and Vermont. Eleven 

states and the District of Columbia had rates below 70.0 percent—Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Florida, 

Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, South Carolina, and Tennessee. 

• Comparing the averaged freshman graduation rate among public school students in the class of 2002-

03 to that of 2003-04 in each of the 48 reporting states and the District of Columbia, 32 states and the 

District of Columbia experienced increases in the rate, 1 state experienced no change, and 15 states 

experienced declines in the rate over this 2-year period (table 1). 

_______________ 

3 This approach yielded estimates of 139,931and 63,071 diploma recipients in 2003-04 in New York and Wisconsin, respectively. The enrollment 

data are included in tables 2 and 3. 
3

Data Limitations 

Data quality. There is variation in the degree of rigor with which the state or school districts verify their 

data. Those states that collect graduation data through student-level records systems are better able to verify 

students’ enrollment status than are those agencies that collect aggregate data from schools and districts. For 

example, if a state using aggregate reports did not include summer and fall graduates in their total count of 

graduates, the estimated graduation rate for that state would be artificially lower than the actual rate. 

In addition, to the extent that state estimates are aggregations of data reported from school districts, missing 

data at the school district level is likely to contribute to incomplete data at the state level that is not evident 

when the data are reported as state totals. Thus, state-to-state differences in the amount of missing school 

district data result in variations in the quality of data across states. 

Differences in definitions. State and local policies and data collection administration can have profound 

effects on the numbers of graduates reported by a state. There are differences in what a high school diploma 

represents in different states. Some states award regular diplomas to all students who meet completion 

requirements, regardless of the extent to which these requirements address the state or district’s academic 

standards. For example, some states have in-school GED programs that require fewer credit hours than a 

regular high school track, but lead to the award of regular diplomas. Other states award some form of 

alternative credential to students who meet some, but not all, requirements. For example, special education 

students who complete their individual education programs or regular education students in some alternative 

programs may receive a certificate of completion. As a result special education students may receive a 

certificate of completion in one state and a regular diploma in another. 

Another example of differences across states involves requirements imposed in states with exit exams as a 

requirement for graduation with a regular diploma. Specifically, the implementation of exit exams as a 

graduation requirement may produce differences between states in a single year and differences within states 

across time. 

It is important to keep in mind that the analysis in this report reflects the data as reported by individual states, 

based on the requirements implemented in the state for regular diplomas. 

Cautions in Interpreting the Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate. Although the Averaged Freshman 

Graduation Rate was selected as the best of the available alternatives, several factors make it fall short of a 

true on-time graduation rate. First, the Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate does not take into account any 

imbalances in the number of students moving in and out of the nation or individual states over the high school 

years. Second, by including all graduates in a specific year, the graduates may include students who repeated 

a grade in high school or completed high school early and thus are not on-time graduates in that year. Third, 

the averaged freshman class is at best an approximation of the actual number of freshmen, where differences 

in the rates of transfers, retention, and dropping out in the three grades affect the average. 

While the Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate is a reasonable proxy at the aggregate national or state level, 

the potential effects of these three factors should be taken into account when interpreting the results for 

individual states. First, if more high school students moved out of a population than transferred in during the 

high school years, the number of graduates in the numerator would be smaller and the estimated graduation 

rate would be lower than the actual on-time rate for that group of freshmen. On the other hand, if more high 

school students moved into a population than moved out during this 4-year period, the number of graduates in 

the numerator would be increased and the estimated on-time graduation rate would be higher than the actual 

rate for that group of freshmen. 

Second, the inclusion of 2003-04 graduates who spent more or less than 4 years in high school increases the 

number of graduates in the numerator and yields a higher estimated rate than would be the case if only ontime graduates were included in the numerator. 

Third, including the estimate of eighth-graders from the previous year to remove the effect of freshmen who 
4

were retained and thus are not first-time freshmen ignores the fact that in some populations there is real 

change in the number of eighth-graders relative to counts of ninth-graders due to transfers between public and 

private schools. If more students transfer in to public schools at this point, using a count of eighth-graders that 

does not include those students would serve to artificially decrease the estimated number of ninth-graders, and 

as a result increase the graduation rate for that class. Conversely, if more students were to transfer out of 

public schools between the eighth and ninth grades, using the eighth grade count that includes students 

leaving the population would artificially increase the estimated number of ninth-graders and in turn, decrease 

the graduation rate. There may also be a tradeoff between the adjustment for retentions and grade specific 

differences in the number of dropouts. The use of the tenth-grade enrollment count also helps to dampen the 

effect of ninth-grade retentions, but ignores the fact that ninth-grade dropouts result in a smaller tenth-grade 

population. Excluding these ninth-grade dropouts lowers the estimate of freshmen and as a result increases the 

graduation rate. 

Each of these factors is likely to have a larger effect on state rates than the national rate, because the impact of 

counterbalancing behaviors at the national level is dampened by the more homogenous experiences of an 

individual state. For example individual states may have relatively large numbers of high school students 

transferring in or out of public schools in a specific year, but when the data are aggregated to the national 

level these state level changes are not relevant. Similarly, these factors could have an even larger impact if 

this rate were computed at the district or school level; as a result even more care would be needed in 

interpreting Averaged Freshman Graduation Rates at those levels. 

For More Information 

This report used information from the Common Core of Data “State Nonfiscal Survey of Public 

Elementary/Secondary Education Universe Survey: School Years 1999-99—2004–05.” For more information 

about this data set, contact Lee Hoffman, National Center for Education Statistics, 1990 K Street NW, 

Washington, DC 20006-5651; or call 202-502-7356; fax 202-502-7475; or e-mail lee.hoffman@ed.gov. Visit the 

Common Core of Data website for downloading files and documentation at http://nces.ed.gov/ccd. 
5

Table 1. Averaged freshman graduation rates, by state: School years 2002-03 and 2003-04 

State or jurisdiction 2002-03 2003-04

 United States1 73.9 75.0

Alabama 64.7 65.0

Alaska 68.0 67.2

Arizona 75.9 66.8

Arkansas 76.6 76.8

California 74.1 73.9

Colorado 76.4 78.7

Connecticut 80.9 80.7

Delaware 73.0 72.9

District of Columbia 59.6 68.2

Florida 66.7 66.4

Georgia 60.8 61.2

Hawaii 71.3 72.6

Idaho 81.4 81.5

Illinois 75.9 80.3

Indiana 75.5 73.5

Iowa 85.3 85.8

Kansas 76.9 77.9

Kentucky 71.7 73.0

Louisiana 64.1 69.4

Maine 76.3 77.6

Maryland 79.2 79.5

Massachusetts 75.7 79.3

Michigan 74.0 72.5

Minnesota 84.8 84.7

Mississippi 62.7 62.7

Missouri 78.3 80.4

Montana 81.0 80.4

Nebraska 85.2 87.6

Nevada 72.3 57.4

New Hampshire 78.2 78.7

New Jersey 87.0 86.3

New Mexico 63.1 67.0

New York 60.9 —

North Carolina 70.1 71.4

North Dakota 86.4 86.1

Ohio 79.0 81.3

Oklahoma 76.0 77.0

Oregon 73.7 74.2

Pennsylvania 81.7 82.2

Rhode Island 77.7 75.9

South Carolina 59.7 60.6

South Dakota 83.0 83.7

Tennessee 63.4 66.1

Texas 75.5 76.7

Utah 80.2 83.0

Vermont 83.6 85.4

Virginia 80.6 79.3

Washington 74.2 74.6

West Virginia 75.7 76.9

Wisconsin 85.8 —

Wyoming 73.9 76.0

See notes at end of table.

Averaged freshman graduation rate
6

 

Table 1. Averaged freshman graduation rates, by state: School years 2002-03 and 2003-04 (continued) 

State or jurisdiction 2002-03 2003-04

Department of Defense (DoD) dependents schools, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and outlying areas

DoDDS: DoDs Overseas 61.9 —

DDESS: DoDs Domestic2 — —

Bureau of Indian Affairs — —

American Samoa 81.0 80.2

Guam 56.3 48.4

Northern Marianas 65.2 75.3

Puerto Rico 67.8 64.8

Virgin Islands 53.5 —

— Not available.

NOTE: Enrollments for school years 1998-99 through 2001-02 and diploma recipients for school years

2002-03 and 2003-04 were used.

1

The national estimate for 2003-04 does not include data from two states with missing diploma counts: 

New York and Wisconsin. The adjusted national rate with estimates for these two states included is 74.3 percent.

2

Enrollment patterns in DoDs Domestic dependents schools lead to an 8th grade enrollment count that is 5 times that 

reported for 9th grade enrollment and 7 times that reported for 10th grade enrollment; as a result, the average 

across these three grades yields an unrealistic estimate of the number of students enrolled as freshmen, and 

the resulting AFGR of 20.1 percent is not valid.
7

Table 2. Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate and components, by state: School year, 2002-03

State or jurisdiction

Averaged 

Freshman 

Graduation 

Rate

Regular 

diplomas, 

school year 

2002-03

Estimated 

first-time 9th 

graders in 

1999-20001

Grade 10 

membership, 

school year 

2000-01 

Grade 9 

membership, 

school year 

1999-2000

Grade 8 

membership, 

school year 

1998-99

 United States 73.9 2,719,947 3,682,202 3,529,652 3,986,992 3,529,963

Alabama 64.7 36,741 56,749 51,991 61,150 57,105

Alaska 68.0 7,297 10,725 10,110 11,568 10,497

Arizona 75.9 49,986 65,842 63,966 68,917 64,644

Arkansas 76.6 27,555 35,971 35,068 36,772 36,073

California 74.1 341,097 460,481 461,030 488,999 431,414

Colorado 76.4 42,379 55,491 54,006 58,815 53,652

Connecticut 80.9 33,667 41,613 40,608 43,977 40,254

Delaware 73.0 6,817 9,334 8,887 10,150 8,964

District of Columbia 59.6 2,725 4,574 3,838 5,580 4,303

Florida 66.7 127,484 191,065 170,385 223,743 179,066

Georgia 60.8 66,890 110,062 99,934 125,388 104,863

Hawaii 71.3 10,013 14,046 13,154 15,637 13,346

Idaho 81.4 15,858 19,490 19,359 20,039 19,073

Illinois 75.9 117,507 154,816 150,781 164,858 148,810

Indiana 75.5 57,897 76,718 73,565 81,442 75,147

Iowa 85.3 34,860 40,871 40,951 42,394 39,269

Kansas 76.9 29,963 38,952 38,231 40,650 37,974

Kentucky 71.7 37,654 52,488 49,708 57,405 50,350

Louisiana 64.1 37,610 58,715 53,307 64,855 57,982

Maine 76.3 12,947 16,967 16,001 17,233 17,668

Maryland 79.2 51,864 65,468 62,843 70,854 62,708

Massachusetts 75.7 55,987 73,979 71,430 78,062 72,444

Michigan 74.0 100,301 135,558 132,342 143,740 130,592

Minnesota 84.8 59,432 70,062 71,064 71,222 67,899

Mississippi 62.7 23,810 37,971 34,755 40,654 38,504

Missouri 78.3 56,925 72,657 70,666 76,575 70,731

Montana 81.0 10,657 13,157 12,885 13,562 13,024

Nebraska 85.2 20,161 23,655 23,378 24,861 22,725

Nevada 72.3 16,378 22,644 20,040 24,672 23,220

New Hampshire 78.2 13,210 16,902 16,225 17,573 16,907

New Jersey 87.0 81,391 93,573 91,086 96,228 93,404

New Mexico 63.1 16,923 26,833 25,476 29,307 25,716

New York 60.9 143,818 236,030 229,516 266,971 211,602

North Carolina 70.1 69,696 99,491 91,449 111,495 95,528

North Dakota 86.4 8,169 9,457 9,374 9,677 9,321

Ohio 79.0 115,762 146,553 139,870 157,337 142,451

Oklahoma 76.0 36,694 48,288 46,163 50,523 48,178

Oregon 73.7 32,587 44,244 43,821 45,867 43,045

Pennsylvania 81.7 119,933 146,725 143,159 155,929 141,086

Rhode Island 77.7 9,318 12,000 11,525 12,832 11,642

South Carolina 59.7 32,482 54,404 48,628 62,883 51,700

South Dakota 83.0 8,999 10,840 10,402 11,261 10,859

Tennessee 63.4 44,113 69,621 65,388 75,890 67,583

Texas 75.5 238,111 315,494 287,355 359,368 299,760

Utah 80.2 29,527 36,838 37,335 36,783 36,396

Vermont 83.6 6,970 8,337 8,006 8,779 8,227

Virginia 80.6 72,943 90,504 86,731 96,959 87,822

Washington 74.2 60,435 81,465 80,453 86,602 77,340

West Virginia 75.7 17,287 22,826 21,882 23,928 22,669

Wisconsin 85.8 63,272 73,746 73,796 78,961 68,481

Wyoming 73.9 5,845 7,911 7,726 8,063 7,944

See notes at end of table.
8

Table 2. Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate and components, by state: School year, 2002-03 (continued)

State or jurisdiction

Averaged 

Freshman 

Graduation 

Rate

Regular 

diplomas, 

school year 

2002-03

Estimated 

first-time 9th 

graders in 

1999-20001

Grade 10 

membership, 

school year 

2000-01 

Grade 9 

membership, 

school year 

1999-2000

Grade 8 

membership, 

school year 

1998-99

Department of Defense (DoD) dependents schools, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and outlying areas

DoDDS: DoDs Overseas 61.9 3,231 5,217 4,799 5,682 5,171

DDESS: DoDs Domestic ——————

Bureau of Indian Affairs — — 3,595 3,024 4,001 3,759

American Samoa 81.0 832 1,027 1,011 1,062 1,007

Guam 56.3 1,502 2,669 2,279 3,457 2,270

Northern Marianas 65.2 422 648 544 749 650

Puerto Rico 67.8 31,408 46,321 46,542 44,862 47,560

Virgin Islands 53.5 886 1,656 1,354 2,083 1,533

— Not available.

1

First-time ninth graders were estimated as the average of student membership in grades 8, 9, and 10 in three 

consecutive years.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Ungraded students were allocated to individual grades.

SOURCE: NCES, Common Core of Data: State Non-Fiscal Data Files. 1998-99 Version 1c, 1999-2000 Version 1c, 

2000-01 Version 1b, and 2003-04 Version 0c. 
9

Table 3. Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate and components, by state: School year, 2003-04

State or jurisdiction

Averaged 

Freshman 

Graduation 

Rate

Regular 

diplomas, 

school year 

2003-04

Estimated 

first-time 9th 

graders in 

2000-011

Grade 10 

membership, 

school year 

2001-02 

Grade 9 

membership, 

school year 

2000-01

Grade 8 

membership, 

school year 

1999-2000

 United States2 75.0 2,548,128 3,396,916 3,259,701 3,669,077 3,261,969

Alabama 65.0 36,464 56,063 51,525 60,463 56,201

Alaska 67.2 7,236 10,768 10,148 11,582 10,575

Arizona 66.8 45,508 68,091 67,727 70,950 65,596

Arkansas 76.8 27,181 35,414 34,537 36,192 35,514

California 73.9 343,480 464,970 465,027 492,205 437,677

Colorado 78.7 44,777 56,918 54,862 61,197 54,696

Connecticut 80.7 34,573 42,836 41,778 45,525 41,205

Delaware 72.9 6,951 9,540 9,035 10,628 8,957

District of Columbia 68.2 3,031 4,447 4,213 4,478 4,650

Florida 66.4 131,418 197,778 172,935 238,825 181,574

Georgia 61.2 68,550 112,024 102,590 126,793 106,688

Hawaii 72.6 10,324 14,211 13,529 15,922 13,182

Idaho 81.5 15,547 19,067 19,074 19,538 18,590

Illinois 80.3 124,763 155,404 150,982 165,558 149,673

Indiana 73.5 56,008 76,196 73,371 80,315 74,901

Iowa 85.8 34,339 40,034 39,517 41,701 38,883

Kansas 77.9 30,155 38,711 38,252 40,225 37,655

Kentucky 73.0 37,787 51,729 47,063 59,075 49,049

Louisiana 69.4 37,019 53,327 48,972 54,439 56,570

Maine 77.6 13,278 17,116 16,348 17,306 17,695

Maryland 79.5 52,870 66,462 63,954 72,202 63,229

Massachusetts 79.3 58,326 73,582 69,692 78,201 72,852

Michigan 72.5 98,823 136,236 132,743 146,344 129,620

Minnesota 84.7 59,096 69,757 70,837 70,729 67,705

Mississippi 62.7 23,735 37,836 34,377 40,603 38,529

Missouri 80.4 57,983 72,144 69,929 75,930 70,572

Montana 80.4 10,500 13,056 12,778 13,384 13,004

Nebraska 87.6 20,309 23,171 22,824 24,236 22,452

Nevada 57.4 15,201 26,495 25,129 30,036 24,321

New Hampshire 78.7 13,309 16,902 16,211 17,649 16,844

New Jersey 86.3 83,826 97,100 96,733 98,854 95,713

New Mexico 67.0 17,892 26,703 25,843 28,944 25,322

New York — — 233,909 229,660 258,564 213,503

North Carolina 71.4 72,126 101,065 94,231 112,420 96,544

North Dakota 86.1 7,888 9,164 9,040 9,314 9,137

Ohio 81.3 119,029 146,446 140,441 157,431 141,466

Oklahoma 77.0 36,799 47,770 46,137 49,939 47,235

Oregon 74.2 32,958 44,394 44,458 45,769 42,953

Pennsylvania 82.2 123,474 150,249 148,110 158,648 143,991

Rhode Island 75.9 9,258 12,197 11,631 13,106 11,855

South Carolina 60.6 33,235 54,805 49,037 63,776 51,601

South Dakota 83.7 9,001 10,757 10,585 11,057 10,631

Tennessee 66.1 46,096 69,722 67,543 74,322 67,300

Texas 76.7 244,165 318,256 293,235 360,704 300,830

Utah 83.0 30,252 36,435 36,968 36,362 35,974

Vermont 85.4 7,100 8,318 8,144 8,604 8,206

Virginia 79.3 72,042 90,856 86,983 98,753 86,831

Washington 74.6 61,274 82,172 81,650 87,322 77,543

West Virginia 76.9 17,339 22,549 21,430 23,759 22,458

Wisconsin — — 73,177 73,512 78,140 67,878

Wyoming 76.0 5,833 7,674 7,540 7,764 7,719

See notes at end of table.
10

Table 3. Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate and components, by state: School year, 2003-04 (continued)

State or jurisdiction

Averaged 

Freshman 

Graduation 

Rate

Regular 

diplomas, 

school year 

2003-04

Estimated 

first-time 9th 

graders in 

2000-011

Grade 10 

membership, 

school year 

2001-02 

Grade 9 

membership, 

school year 

2000-01

Grade 8 

membership, 

school year 

1999-2000

Department of Defense (DoD) dependents schools, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and outlying areas

DoDDS: DoDs Overseas — 2,766 — 3,801 4,445 —

DDESS: DoDs Domestic3 — 584 2,898 950 1,309 6,435

Bureau of Indian Affairs — — 3,537 3,095 3,826 3,691

American Samoa 80.2 852 1,063 1,032 1,106 1,050

Guam 48.4 1,346 2,781 2,412 3,490 2,442

Northern Marianas 75.3 575 763 741 852 697

Puerto Rico 64.8 30,083 46,395 46,031 45,809 47,345

Virgin Islands — 816 — — 1,856 1,563

— Not available.

1 First-time ninth graders were estimated as the average of student membership in grades 8, 9, and 10 in three 

consecutive years.

2

The national estimate does not include data from two states with missing diploma counts: New York and Wisconsin.

The adjusted national rate with estimates for these two states included is 74.3 percent.

3

Enrollment patterns in DoDs Domestic dependents schools lead to an 8th grade enrollment count that is 5 times 

that reported for 9th grade enrollment and 7 times that reported for 10th grade enrollment; as a result, the average 

across these three grades yields an unrealistic estimate of the number of students enrolled as freshmen, and the

 resulting AFGR of 20.1 percent is not valid.
11

References 

Seastrom, M., Chapman, C., Stillwell, R., McGrath, D., Peltola, P., Dinkes, R., and Xu, Z., (2005). A 

Review and Analysis of Alternative High School Graduation Rates, Volume 1. Users Guide to Computing 

High School Graduation Rates, Volume 2, An Analysis of Alternative High School Graduation rates (NCES 

2006–604 and 605). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, 

DC.