Trends In High School Graduation Rates Research Brief

This Research Brief addresses an outcome measure that is of paramount importance to senior high schools--graduation rate. Nationwide a student drops out of school approximately every nine seconds. The significance of this issue locally is exemplified by a recent American Civil Liberties Union filing of a class action law suit against the Palm Beach County Public Schools claiming the district's low graduation rate violated the Florida Constitution. Data will be presented indicating that four-year graduation rates for M-DCPS students in grades 9-12 have increased for all three of the major racial/ethnic groups for the past three cohorts. The seven most frequently used methods to calculate graduation rate are also presented. (Contains 2 figures and 2 tables.).