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Statistics on children, youth and families in Pennsylvania from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children

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Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children

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4-Year Cohort Graduation Rate - Students who graduate from high school three years after their ninth-grade year in Pennsylvania

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Why This Indicator Matters

The 4-year cohort graduation rate is an important educational indicator that reflects the percentage of students who graduate within four years of starting high school. In Pennsylvania, data shows that graduation rates have remained steady with a slight upward trend over time, suggesting positive outcomes related to academic achievement and school accountability.[1] Monitoring this data is essential for understanding long-term trends in educational outcomes, identifying areas where support is needed, and evaluating the effectiveness of policies and programs aimed at improving graduation rates. Despite graduation rate trends generally being positive, research suggests key differences in graduation rates by race/ethnicity, disability status, English learner status, and economically disadvantages status. [2] Continuous efforts are necessary to ensure that all student subgroups have equitable opportunities to succeed and to address any underlying factors that may prevent some students from graduating on time.[3]

[1] Harris, D. N., Liu, L., Barrett, N., & Li, R. (2023). Is the Rise in High School Graduation Rates Real? High-Stakes School Accountability and Strategic Behavior. Labor Economics, 82, 102355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2023.102355

[2] National Center for Education Statistics. (2023). On-Time Graduation. Equity in Education Dashboard. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/equity/indicator_c6.asp#citation

[3] Rumberger, R.W. & Plasman, J.S. (2018). Developing Equity Indicators for On-Time Graduation. The Committee on Developing Indicators of Educational Equity, National Research Council. https://sites.nationalacademies.org/cs/groups/dbassesite/documents/webpage/dbasse_193232.pdf

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Definition and Source

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Definition

The cohort graduation rates are a calculation of the percentage of students who have graduated with a regular high school diploma within a designated number of years since the student first entered high school. The rate is determined for a cohort of students who have all entered high school for the first time during the same school year.

Effective with the 2009-10 school year, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) began implementation of this new methodology to calculate the graduation rate for all public high schools, comprehensive Career and Technical Centers (CTCs) and charter schools that graduate students from 12th grade.  The transition to the new method of calculating the graduation rate is required by the U.S. Department of Education, and is a more precise way to measure the true graduation rate.

Data Source

Pennsylvania Department of Education, Data Quality Office.

Notes

Information for 2010 is preliminary. The final 2010 4-Year Cohort Graduation Rates will be included on 2011 district and school report cards, but will not be used to determine Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) until 2012.
 
In cases of "LNE" (low number event) the cohort size is less than 10 and therefore not publicly reported.

The year listed is the second half of the school year; for example, 2010 refers to the 2009-2010 school year.

Last Updated

July 2025