Locations
United States
High school students not graduating on time
Downloading image...
Note: Non-consecutive years appear adjacent in the trend line
because one or more years have been deselected.
because one or more years have been deselected.
Why This Indicator Matters
Students who graduate from high school on time are more likely to continue to postsecondary education and training; they are more employable and have higher incomes than students who fail to graduate. High school graduates also have better health outcomes, make healthier choices and are less likely to engage in risky behaviors.
This indicator is included in the KIDS COUNT Child Well-Being Index. Read the KIDS COUNT Data Book to learn more: http://datacenter.kidscount.org/publications.
show more
This indicator is included in the KIDS COUNT Child Well-Being Index. Read the KIDS COUNT Data Book to learn more: http://datacenter.kidscount.org/publications.
Definition and Source
PROVIDER
Definition
The percentage of an entering freshman class not graduating in four years. The measure is derived from the Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR). The four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate is the number of students who graduate in four years with a regular high school diploma divided by the number of students who form the adjusted cohort for the graduating class. Students entering grade 9 for the first time form a cohort that is “adjusted” by adding any students who subsequently transfer into the cohort and subtracting any students who subsequently transfer out.
Data Source
PRB analysis of data from U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, EDFacts File Specifications 150 and 151.
Notes
S - Estimates suppressed when the confidence interval around the percentage is greater than or equal to 10 percentage points.
N.A. - Data not available.
State educational agencies were allowed to change requirements for a high school diploma to account for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, therefore data may not be comparable across time.
In 2019-2020, the national estimate was calculated using imputed data for Illinois and Texas and estimates for those states are based on data provided directly by each state's education agency.
In 2020-2021, the national estimate was calculated using imputed data for Illinois and Washington and estimates for those states are based on data provided directly by each state's education agency.
N.A. - Data not available.
In 2019-2020, the national estimate was calculated using imputed data for Illinois and Texas and estimates for those states are based on data provided directly by each state's education agency.
In 2020-2021, the national estimate was calculated using imputed data for Illinois and Washington and estimates for those states are based on data provided directly by each state's education agency.
Last Updated
March 2024