- Letter from the Commissioner
- Executive Summary
- List of Figures
- List of Tables
- Introduction
- Chapter 1: Demographic Context
- Chapter 2: Characteristics of Schools
- Chapter 3: Student Behaviors and Afterschool Activities
- Chapter 4: Academic Preparation and Achievement
- Chapter 5: College Knowledge
- Chapter 6: Postsecondary Education
- Chapter 7: Postsecondary Outcomes and Employment
- Chapter 8: Multivariate Analyses of Immediate Postsecondary Enrollment and Degree Attainment
- References
- Appendix A: Technical Appendix: Logistic Regression Analysis and Imputation Procedures
- Appendix B: Guide to Sources
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Chapter 4: Academic Preparation and Achievement
Indicator 25: Graduation Rates
For the class of 2008–09 in public high schools, a lower percentage of males than females graduated on time with a regular diploma (71.8 vs. 78.9 percent). This pattern was also found for Whites (78.9 vs. 84.0 percent), Blacks (57.3 vs. 69.3 percent), Hispanics (60.3 vs. 69.7 percent), Asians/Pacific Islanders (88.0 vs. 93.1 percent), and American Indians/Alaska Natives (60.5 vs. 67.7 percent).
The averaged freshman graduation rate (AFGR) estimates the proportion of public high school freshmen who graduate with a regular diploma 4 years after starting 9th grade. The AFGR for the class of 2008–09 was 75.5 percent among public school students in the United States. Overall, the AFGR by state for the class of 2008–09 ranged from 56.3 percent in Nevada to 90.7 percent in Wisconsin.
For the class of 2008–09, a lower percentage of males than females graduated with a regular diploma (71.8 vs. 78.9 percent). This pattern was also found for Whites (78.9 vs. 84.0 percent), Blacks (57.3 vs. 69.3 percent), Hispanics (60.3 vs. 69.7 percent), Asians/Pacific Islanders (88.0 vs. 93.1 percent), and American Indians/Alaska Natives (60.5 vs. 67.7 percent). The AFGRs for males were also lower than the AFGRs for females across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Differences in the AFGR were also found across racial/ ethnic groups. In 2008–09, a higher percentage of Asians/ Pacific Islanders (90.4 percent) than Whites (81.4 percent), Blacks (63.2 percent), Hispanics (64.9 percent), and American Indians/Alaska Natives (64.1 percent) graduated on time with a regular diploma. This overall race/ethnicity pattern was similar among males. A higher percentage of Asian/Pacific Islander males (88.0 percent) than White (78.9 percent), Black (57.3 percent), Hispanic (60.3 percent), and American Indian/Alaska Native males (60.5 percent) graduated on time with a regular diploma. Among females, Asians/ Pacific Islanders (93.1 percent) and Whites (84.0 percent) had higher graduation rates than all other racial/ethnic groups shown. Black females (69.3 percent) and Hispanic females (69.7 percent) had higher graduation rates than American Indian/Alaska Native females (67.7 percent).
Technical Notes
The AFGR is an estimate of the percentage of an entering freshman class graduating in 4 years. For 2008–09, it equals the total number of regular diploma recipients in 2008–09 divided by the average membership of the 8th-grade class in 2004–05, the 9th-grade class in 2005–06, and the 10th-grade class in 2006 –07. The United States total includes all 50 states and the District of Columbia. This indicator presents information on Asians and Pacific Islanders as a combined category because the data were collected in a manner that does not permit separate reporting. Since 96 percent of all Asian/Pacific Islander 5- to 24-year-olds are Asian, this combined category substantially reflects the situation for Asians, rather than Pacific Islanders. For more information, please see the introduction to this report.
Figure 25-1 Averaged freshman graduation rate (AFGR) in public schools, by race/ethnicity and sex: 2008–09
Table E-25-1 Averaged freshman graduation rate (AFGR) in public schools, by race/ethnicity, sex, and state or jurisdiction: 2008–09
