Many factors are associated with a student's persistence and progress toward a high school diploma, college degree, or other credential. Factors such as the student's effort and expectations, parents' educational attainment, and family income are associated with various measures of educational attainment, including graduation and dropout rates, immediate college enrollment rates, and high school and postsecondary degree attainment. Monitoring these factors and tracking educational attainment provide key indicators for describing the progress of students and schooling in the United States.

• In 2007, about 10 percent of students in kindergarten (K) through grade 8 had ever been retained during their school career; this percentage fluctuated between 9 and 11 percent from 1996 to 2007. In 2007, a larger percentage of Black students than White students, Hispanic students, and students of other races/ethnicities had ever been retained; no measurable differences were found in either the White-Black or the White-Hispanic gap in the percentage of students who had ever been retained between 1996 and 2007. In addition, in each survey year, the percentage of students in grades K-8 who had ever been retained was larger among students from poor families than among students from near-poor or nonpoor families. For example, in 2007, some 23 percent of students from poor families had ever been retained, compared with 5 percent of students from nonpoor families (indicator 18).
• Among public high school students in the class of 2005-06, about three-quarters graduated on time, based on an estimate of the percentage of an incoming freshman class that graduates 4 years later. Wisconsin had the highest averaged freshman graduation rate in 2005-06, at 87.5 percent. Thirteen other states had rates of 80 percent or more, and 10 states had rates below 70 percent. The overall averaged freshman graduation rate increased from 71.7 percent in 2000-01 to 74.7 percent in 2004-05 and then decreased to 73.4 percent in 2005-06 (indicator 19).
• The status dropout rate represents the percentage of 16- through 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in school and have not earned a high school diploma or equivalent credential, such as a General Educational Development (GED) certificate. In 2007, the status dropout rate was 9 percent, down from 14 percent in 1980. In general, dropout rates for Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics declined between 1980 and 2007, although in each year between 1980 and 2007, the status dropout rate was lower for Whites and Blacks than for Hispanics. In 2007, foreign-born Hispanics dropped out at a higher rate than native-born Hispanics, while the opposite trend by nativity held for Whites and Blacks (indicator 20).
• The rate of college enrollment immediately after high school completion increased from 49 percent in 1972 to 67 percent in 1997 and fluctuated between 62 and 69 percent through 2007. For family income, despite an overall narrowing of the gaps, the immediate college enrollment rates of high school completers from low- and middle-income families trailed those of their peers from high-income families by more than 10 percentage points in each year between 1972 and 2007. Differences in the immediate college enrollment rate by race/ ethnicity have also persisted over time. For example, enrollment rates for Black and Hispanic high school completers have been lower than for their White peers almost every year since 1985 (indicator 21).
• About 58 percent of first-time students seeking a bachelor's degree or its equivalent and attending a 4-year institution full time in 2000-01 completed a bachelor's degree or its equivalent at that institution within 6 years. Six-year graduation rates were higher at private not-for-profit 4-year institutions (65 percent) than at public 4-year institutions (55 percent) or private for-profit 4-year institutions (33 percent). Asian/Pacific Islander students had the highest 6-year graduation rate (67 percent), followed by Whites (60 percent), and Hispanics (49 percent). Blacks and American Indians/Alaska Natives had the lowest graduation rates of the five racial/ethnic groups (42 percent and 40 percent, respectively) (indicator 22).
• In 2008, some 88 percent of 25- to 29-year-olds had received a high school diploma or equivalency certificate, 31 percent had attained a bachelor's degree or higher, and 7 percent had completed a master's degree. The rate of educational attainment in this age group was higher in 2000 than in 1971 at all levels. For example, the percentage of 25- to 29-year-olds who had completed a bachelor's degree or higher increased from 17 to 29 percent between 1971 and 2000 and was 31 percent in 2008. The percentage of young adults who had received a high school diploma or equivalency certificate also increased from 78 percent in 1971 to 88 percent in 2008. Although the percentage of young adults with a bachelor's degree increased for all racial/ ethnic groups, the gaps widened between Whites and their Black and Hispanic peers between 1971 and 2008 (indicator 23).
• While the number of degrees earned by White students increased between 1996-97 and 2006-07, the number awarded to students from other racial/ ethnic groups grew at a faster rate at each degree level. For example, the number of bachelor's degrees awarded to White students increased by 22 percent while the number awarded to students from other racial/ethnic groups increased by 62 percent. During this period, the percentage of associate's degrees awarded to students from other racial/ ethnic groups increased from 23 to 31 percent, and the percentage of master's degrees increased from 15 to 23 percent. At each degree level, the number of degrees earned grew at a faster rate for females than for males between 1996-97 and 2006-07 (indicator 24).