High School Graduation Rates

Date posted: 06/04/2008

According to the Colorado Department of Education website, 'In Colorado, local school boards are responsible for establishing the requirements for high school graduation. The State considers a graduate to be any student who has met the graduation requirements of his or her local school district. Some districts award certificates or other designations of high school completion or attendance to students who do not meet the standard high school graduation requirements. Also, some students who do not meet the traditional high school graduation requirements do successfully achieve a general educational development certificate (G.E.D.).

'2006-2007 was the fourth year the Colorado Department of Education collected Student End of Year data for each individual student using the State Assigned Student Identifier (SASID) system (CDE Graduation Data).' The new system eliminates errors such as double counting students or miscounting transfers. Due to this factor and the capability to track individual students, the CDE expects graduation rates to show a decrease until the first cycle of the new system is complete in 2007. Please see Additional Information for further discussion of graduation rates and the SASID system.

What this chart shows: Overall Graduation Rates in Colorado & Larimer County School Districts, 1998 - 2007

Data Source: Colorado Department of Education

See data table

What these data tell us:

Larimer County School Districts had higher combined graduation rates than the State average from 1998 to 2007. The change to the State Assigned Student Identifier (SASID) system in 2004 resulted in a 7.6% decrease in the rate for Poudre School District and slight increases for Park and Thompson.

Caution should be used when interpreting some of this information. If the raw numbers are relatively low, which is often the case in Park School District, even slight deviations equate to higher percentage changes in graduation rates.

What this chart shows: Graduation Rates by Instructional Program Type - Larimer County School Districts, 2007

Data Source: Colorado Department of Education

See data table

What these data tell us:

In 2007, of the graduates included in instructional programs, the highest graduation rate reported by Poudre and Thompson School Districts was in the 'Gifted and Talented' program, 100% and 98% respectively. Park School District had the highest graduation rate (83%) within the 'Students with Disabilities' instructional program. The second highest graduation rate for Park School District was the 'Economically Disadvantaged' program, or students who qualify for the free or reduced lunch program. Across the Larimer County School Districts, 24% of all students qualify for this program. See Students Eligible for Free/ Reduced School Lunch for more information.

See Additional Information for Instructional Program Service Type definitions.

Additional Information:

'A graduation rate is reported for each graduating class (i.e., the Class of 2007). The rate is calculated by dividing the number of graduates by the membership base. The membership base is derived from the number of students entering ninth grade four years earlier (i.e., during the 2003-2004 year), and adjusted for students who have transferred into or out of the district during the years covering grades 9 through 12 (CDE Graduation Data).'

Instructional Program Service Type definitions*:

Students with Disabilities:  Students who have been formally identified as having physical or health conditions that may have a significant impact on the student's ability to learn and therefore warrant placing the student on an Individual Educational Program (IEP).

Limited English Proficient:  This designation encompasses all students identified as either non-English proficient or limited English proficient. Non-English proficient is defined as a student who speaks a language other than English and does not comprehend, speak, read, or write English. Limited English proficient is defined as a student who comprehends, speaks, reads, or writes some English, but whose predominant comprehension or speech is in a language other than English. Districts must provide language services to all limited English proficient students.

Economically Disadvantaged:  Student qualifies for either the free or reduced lunch program. The Federal National School Lunch Act establishes eligibility for the reduced price lunch program for families with income up to 185 percent of the federal poverty level (in 2005, this amount was $35,798 for a family of four). Families with income up to 130 percent of the federal poverty level qualify for the free lunch program (in 2005 this amount was $25,155 for a family of four).

Migrant:  Students enrolled in a specially designed program for children who are, or whose parent or spouse is a migratory agricultural worker, and who, in the preceding 36 months, in order to obtain, or accompany such parent or spouse in order to obtain, temporary or seasonal employment in agricultural work has moved from one school district to another.

Homeless:  According to the McKinney Act, a 'homeless individual': lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.

Gifted and Talented:   Students who have been formally identified, using district wide procedures aligned with CDE guidelines, as being endowed with a high degree of exceptionality or potential in mental ability, academics, creativity, or talents (visual, performing, musical arts, or leadership. 

*Definitions taken directly from CDE Graduation Data.

On Compass:

• ACT Scores
• CSAP scores
• Drop-Out Rates
• Enrollment - Ethnicity
• Enrollment - K-12, Public School
• Enrollment - Public, Home-Based, & Non-Public
• Enrollment - Special Education
• Funding Per Pupil
• Population Race & Ethnicity - Demographics
• Pupil/ Teacher Ratio
• Teachers - Ethnicity & Gender
• Youth Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs
• Youth Attitudes Toward Smoking

Outside of Compass:

• Ask Colorado - interactive online librarian service from Colorado libraries.
• Colorado Department of Education - K-12 Standards & Assessments
• Colorado Education and Library Directory
• Park School District
• Poudre School District
• Thompson School District
• United States Department of Education - Help My Child with Academics: a resource for parents and their children's school success.

Standards or Target: N/A

Data Tables:

Overall Graduation Rates - Colorado and Larimer County School Districts

	Colorado	Graduate Base	Park	Graduate Base	Poudre	Graduate Base	Thompson	Graduate Base
1996	77.7%	n/a*	83.7%	n/a*	78.6%	n/a*	77.9%	n/a*
1997	78.5%	n/a*	86.5%	n/a*	80.3%	n/a*	83.0%	n/a*
1998	80.1%	n/a*	83.9%	n/a*	82.4%	n/a*	81.7%	n/a*
1999	79.9%	36,958	74.8%	86	83.8%	1,314	85.4%	909
2000	80.9%	38,924	80.8%	84	82.1%	1,361	84.0%	1,016
2001	80.5%	39,241	72.8%	91	88.7%	1,449	85.3%	934
2002	81.8%	40,760	92.4%	97	92.7%	1,503	83.8%	924
2003	83.6%	42,379	85.1%	103	93.6%	1,616	88.6%	995
2004	82.3%	54,273	93.6%	94	86.0%	1,818	89.6%	1,215
2005	80.1%	55,629	92.6%	95	87.9%	1,931	90.0%	1,208
2006	74.1%	59,972	91.3%	92	81.9%	2,163	88.1%	1,188
2007	75.0%	60,847	86.5%	104	81.7%	2,230	81.3%	1,353

*Base rates prior to 1999 are not available on the Colorado Department of Education website.

See chart

Numbers of Graduates by Instructional Program Type - 2007

	Park School District		Poudre School District		Thompson School District
	Number	Graduate Base	Number	Graduate Base	Number	Graduate Base
Students With Disabilities	5	6	143	358	87	130
Limited English Proficient	7	11	90	227	7	13
Economically Disadvantaged	19	24	270	721	202	285
Migrant	2	4	6	11	3	4
Homeless	1	2	21	62	12	27
Gifted and Talented	0	0	32	32	144	147

See chart

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