Selected Findings

• For SY 2010–11, the estimated national⁴ 4-year ACGR for public high school students was 79 percent (table 1), and for SY 2011–12 it was 80 percent (table 2). This indicates that nearly 4 out of 5 students receive a regular high school diploma within 4 years of starting 9^th grade for the first time.


• For SY 2010–11, American Indian/Alaska Native, Black, and Hispanic students had 4-year ACGRs below the national average at 65, 67, and 71 percent, respectively.⁵ White students and Asian/Pacific Islander students had ACGRs above the national average at 84 and 87 percent, respectively. Economically disadvantaged students, students with limited English proficiency, and students with disabilities all had ACGR rates below the national average for all students at 70, 57, and 59 percent, respectively (table 1).


• For SY 2011–12 American Indian/Alaska Native, Black, and Hispanic students had a 4-year ACGR below the national average at 67, 69, and 73 percent, respectively. White students and Asian/Pacific Islander students had 4-year ACGRs above the national average at 86 and 88 percent, respectively. Economically disadvantaged students, students with limited English proficiency, and students with disabilities all had 4-year ACGR rates below the national average for all students at 72, 59, and 61 percent, respectively (table 2).


• The national AFGR (a less precise estimate of an on-time graduation rate than the ACGR) tracked slightly above the ACGR estimates with a SY 2010–11 rate of 80 percent and a SY 2011–12 rate of 81 percent (tables 3 and 4). Like the ACGR, AFGR estimates for American Indian/Alaska Native, Black, and Hispanic students were lower than the national average while White and Asian/Pacific Islander rates were higher in both SY 2010–11 and SY 2011–12.


• In both SY 2010–11 and SY 2011–12, the AFGR for female students exceeded the graduation rate for male students by 7 percentage points. That is, 84 percent for females vs. 77 percent for males in SY 2010–11 and 85 percent for females vs. 78 percent for males in SY 2011–12 (tables 3 and 4).⁶


• The public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both SY 2010–11 and SY 2011–12 (table 5). In SY 2010–11, twenty-four states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands had an event dropout rate that exceeded the national dropout rate. Twenty-four states and Puerto Rico had an event dropout rate that was below the national dropout rate. In SY 2011–12, twenty states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands had an event dropout rate that exceeded the national dropout rate. Thirty states and Puerto Rico had an event dropout rate that was below the national dropout rate.

---

⁴ Estimates referenced as "national" include only the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For the purpose of comparison, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are compared to the "national" dropout rate in bullet six but were not included in the calculation of that rate.
⁵ Black includes African American, Hispanic includes Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander includes Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and American Indian includes Alaska Native. Race categories exclude Hispanic origin unless specified.
⁶ The ACGR is not collected by gender in the Consolidated State Performance Report.