Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate for Public High Schools from the Common Core of Data: School Years 2002-03 and 2003-04

摘要

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. 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. 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.