Downloadable Data Explained - Graduation & Dropout Rate
To comply with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), Georgia has defined a graduate as a student who leaves high school with a Regular Diploma (this does not include Certificates of Attendance or Special Education Diplomas) in the standard time (i.e., 4 years). GOSA displays a 4-year Cohort graduation rate and an extended 5-year Cohort graduation rate.
The graduation rate calculation is the number of graduates divided by the number of students that attended the school. The number of students that attended the school is based on any student reported in the Student Record and excludes no-shows.
To comply with the NCLB timeline for reporting information to the public, the process for identifying dropouts had to be adjusted to rely solely on the Student Record collection. The National Center for Education Statistics requires that states report a 7-12 grade dropout rate and a 9-12 grade dropout rate.
Students are reported as dropouts if they leave school for one of the following reasons:
- Marriage
- Expelled
- Financial Hardship/Job
- Incarcerated/Under Jurisdiction of Juvenile or Criminal Justice Authority
- Low Grades/School Failure
- Military
- Adult Education/Postsecondary
- Pregnant/Parent
- Removed for lack of attendance
- Serious illness/Accident
- Unknown
The dropout rate calculation is the number of students with a withdrawal code corresponding to a dropout divided by the number of students that attended the school. The number of students that attended the school is based on any student reported in the Student Record and excludes no-shows.