Building a Grad Nation: Progress and Challenge in Raising High School Graduation Rates. Annual Update 2016
Author: DePaoli, Jennifer L.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: High School Graduates,Graduation Rate,Data Analysis,Statistical Data,Comparative Analysis,High Schools,Public Schools,Charter Schools,Nontraditional Education,Nontraditional Students,Virtual Classrooms,Extended School Year,Income,Academic Achievement,Geographic Location,Trend Analysis,High School Students,Dropouts,Minority Group Students,African American Students,Hispanic American Students,Pacific Islanders,White Students,Cohort Analysis,Racial Differences,Ethnic Groups

The nation has achieved an 82.3 percent high school graduation rate--a record high. Graduation rates rose for all student subgroups, and the number of low-graduation-rate high schools and students enrolled in them dropped again, indicating that progress has had far-reaching benefits for all students. This report is the first to analyze 2014 graduation data using new criteria established by the &quot;Every Student Succeeds Act&quot; (ESSA) and the first to show the impact of additional time on graduation rates. The report provides a new national and state-by-state analysis of low-graduation-rate high schools; the number of additional students it will take for the country and each state to reach 90 percent; a look at the validity of graduation rates; and policy recommendations for change. Findings include the following: (1) Nationwide, there are four high-graduation-rate high schools (85 percent Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) and above) for every one low-graduation-rate high school (67 percent ACGR and below); (2) Twenty-four percent of all high schools were located in cities, but urban areas were home to more than half of 2014 low-graduation-rate high schools; (3) Forty-one percent of low-graduation-rate high schools were regular public schools (non-charter) in 2014; (4) 57 percent of alternative high schools nationwide were low-graduation-rate high schools, while only eight percent of alternative schools were high-graduation rate high schools; (5) Thirty percent of charter schools reporting ACGR in 2014 were low-graduation-rate high schools, and 44 percent were high-graduation-rate high schools; and (6) Roughly 87 percent of virtual schools were low-graduation-rate high schools in 2014. The following are appended: (1) Four-Year Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rates (ACGR), by State and Subgroup, 2013-14; (2) Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) Change from 2010-11 to 2013-14, by State; (3) Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) Gaps, by Subgroup and State, 2013-14; (4) Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) Gap Change, by Subgroup and State from 2010-11 to 2013-14; (5) Estimated Non-Low-Income Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR), Low-Income ACGR, Gap between Low-Income and Non-Low-Income, and Gap Change, by State, from 2012-13 to 2013-14; (6) Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR), by State, Percent Low-Income, ACGR Low-Income, ACGR Estimated Non-Low-Income, Gap between Low-Income and Non-Low-Income, and Gap Change, by State from 2011-2014; (7) Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR, 2013-14) for Students with Disabilities (SWD) versus Non-SWD; (8) Number of High Schools by Different Levels of Promoting Power, 2002-2014; (9) Change of High Schools with Promoting Power of 60 Percent or Less by Locale, 2002-2014; (10) Large High Schools and Students Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity with a 2014 Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) 67 Percent or Below, 2014; (11) 2014 State On-Pace/Off-Pace to 90 Percent ACGR by Class of 2020; (12) ESSA High Schools with ACGR 67 Percent or Below, by State and Type, 2014; (13) Number of Non-Graduates by State and School Type, 2014; (14) Number and Percentages of Regular High Schools by Type (District, Charter, Virtual), 2014; (15) Number and Percentages of Alternative High Schools by Type (District, Charter, Virtual), 2014; (16) Number and Percentages of Special Education High Schools by Type (District, Charter, Virtual), 2014; (17) Number and Percentages of Vocational High Schools by Type (District, Charter, Virtual), 2014; (18) Four-Year Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) Data Links, by State; (19) Frequently Used Terms and Definitions; (20) Graduation Rate FAQ; and (21) Civic Marshall Plan Principles. [Data analysis for this report was performed by Vaughan Byrnes and Mark Pierson. This report was edited by Erin Ingram, Kathleen McMahon, Joanna Hornig Fox, and Mary Maushard. For the 2015 report, see ED556759.]