The indicators in this section report on the progress students make through the education system. There are 23 indicators in this section. Particular attention is paid to how various subgroups in the population proceed through school and attain different levels of education and what factors are associated with their success along the way.

The first two subsections consider students’ academic aspirations and effort. The indicators include student measures of time spent on homework, preparedness for academic activities, postsecondary expectations, and patterns of school attendance.

The third subsection traces the progress of students through elementary and secondary education to graduation from high school or some alternate form of completion. Measures include the percentage of students who leave high school (drop out) before completion and the percentage who graduate high school on time, in 4 years. Dropouts are measured by event rates (the percentage of students in an age range who leave school in a given year) and status rates (the percentage of students in an age range who are not enrolled in school and who have not completed high school). Indicators 23-2007 and 27-2006 show the status dropout rate by race/ethnicity and characteristics of students in the spring of their sophomore year in 2002 who had dropped out 2 years later. In addition, the averaged freshman graduation rate estimates the on-time graduation rate for each state.

The fourth subsection examines the transition to college. An important measure is the percentage of students who make the transition to college within 1 year of completing high school. Indicator 17-2004 compares the rate of first-time enrollment in postsecondary education in the United States with the rates in other countries.

The fifth subsection concerns the percentage of students who enter postsecondary education who complete a credential and how much time they take to do so. This subsection also includes relationships between the qualifications and characteristics of students who enter postsecondary education and their success in completing a credential.

An overall measure of the progress of the population through the education system is attainment, which is the highest level of education completed by a certain age. The Condition of Education annually examines the level of attainment by those ages 24–29. Other indicators examine factors related to the level of attainment and the number of undergraduate and graduate degrees earned over time by particular cohorts of students and by race/ethnicity.