4-Year Cohort High School Graduation Rate

Data Provider: NYS Education Department

Related Indicators:

4-Year Cohort HS Graduation Rate - All students [view data]

Life Area:

Education

Definition:

The four-year cohort graduation rate is a measure of the number of students from a freshman cohort group who successfully graduate high school 4 years after entering their freshman year. The cohort is adjusted by adding any students who transfer into the cohort later during the next three years and subtracting any students who transfer out, emigrate to another country or die during the same period.

The cohort graduation rate is calculated by taking the number of students in the adjusted cohort who graduated with a regular diploma within four years and dividing that by the total number of students in the cohort.

Significance:

High school graduation is the culmination of a successful K-12 education and the gateway to college or employment. Students who do not graduate face the prospect of unemployment or low-paying jobs.

Note:

These figures reflect graduates through August, which includes students who made up courses during summer and graduated.

Findings:

Statewide, 80.2 percent of the students who started 9th grade in 2013 graduated after four years by June 2017. The rate for New York City average was 71.2 percent, while that of the rest of the state was 85.4 percent.
Cohort graduation rates have shown a continual, gradual improvement in NYC and the Rest of State.