! Interpret data with caution.
NOTE: For each graduate, the percentages of completed courses classified as "below level," "at grade level," and "honors" were calculated. (Not all graduates completed 4 years of English.) After the percentage of graduates at each level had been calculated, the percentage of graduates who fit the category requirement for each level was determined, as explained in Appendix B: Supplemental Notes. Graduates who completed a general English course classified as "below grade level" were included at the "advanced academic level" if they completed a greater percentage of "honors" courses than "below grade level" courses. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic origin.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002/04), "High School Transcript Study."