Graduation rates: 4-Year Adjusted Cohort in Maryland

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. For any given cohort, students who are entering grade 9 for the first time form a cohort that is subsequently “adjusted” by adding any students who transfer into the cohort later during the next three years and subtracting any students who transfer out, emigrates to another country, or dies during that same period. This definition is defined in federal regulation 34 C.F.R. §200.19(b) (1) (i)-(iv).

The four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate strictly adheres to section 1111(b) (2) (C) (vi) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which defines graduation rate as the “percentage of students who graduate from secondary school with a regular diploma in the standard number of years.”

The four-year graduation rate is calculated by dividing the number of students who graduate within four years, including the summer following their fourth year of high school, with a regular high school diploma by the number of students who form the adjusted cohort for that graduating class. Students who drop out of high school remain in the adjusted cohort—that is, the denominator of the cohort graduation rate calculation. 

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. For any given cohort, students who are entering grade 9 for the first time form a cohort that is subsequently “adjusted” by adding any students who transfer into the cohort later during the next three years and subtracting any students who transfer out, emigrates to another country, or dies during that same period. This definition is defined in federal regulation 34 C.F.R. §200.19(b) (1) (i)-(iv).

The four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate strictly adheres to section 1111(b) (2) (C) (vi) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which defines graduation rate as the “percentage of students who graduate from secondary school with a regular diploma in the standard number of years.”

The four-year graduation rate is calculated by dividing the number of students who graduate within four years, including the summer following their fourth year of high school, with a regular high school diploma by the number of students who form the adjusted cohort for that graduating class. Students who drop out of high school remain in the adjusted cohort—that is, the denominator of the cohort graduation rate calculation.