Information Services - Statistical Reports
Cohort 2008 Four-Year Graduation Rates - State Results
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department) is calculating and reporting graduation rates as part of overall efforts to improve educational outcomes for all students. In addition, reporting graduation rates is required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act and by a National Governors Association compact that Massachusetts has signed.
The 2008 four-year cohort graduation rate is calculated as follows:
| # of students in cohort (denominator) who graduate in 4 years or less [# of 1st time entering 9th graders in 2004-05] - transfers out/deaths + transfers in |
The 2008 four-year cohort graduation rate for Massachusetts public high schools increased by 0.3 percentage points to 81.2 percent from 80.9 percent in 2007. This increase represented the second consecutive year of an increase in the four-year rate. Many student subgroups also had an increased four-year rate as compared to 2007 including both African American students and students with limited English proficiency (LEP), who had increases of 3.2 and 2.5 percentage points respectively. However, there are significant gaps in the graduation rates among different subgroups. Specifically, among the race and ethnicity subgroups, there is a 28.4 percentage point difference between the highest and lowest groups, Asians and Hispanics.
Additional critical findings of the report include:
- Students in urban school districts graduated at a rate of 0.5 percentage points higher than the 2007 cohort.1
- African American males graduated at a rate that was 4.2 percentage points higher than the 2007 cohort and represented the largest increase among the ten largest race and gender combinations.
- Students who attended more than one Massachusetts public high school graduated at a rate much lower than those students who attended only one public high school in Massachusetts.
- Over 60 percent of the students in the cohort who are still enrolled in a Massachusetts public school earned their Competency Determination (CD) by passing both the English Language Arts and Mathematics sections of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System.
- 73 percent of school districts and 64 percent of high schools had a higher graduation rate than the state average of 81.2 percent.
The following tables and graphs further summarize the results for the 2008 cohort. The results are based on data submitted to the Department by school districts through the Department's Student Information Management System.
| Graduates | Non-Graduates3 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 Cohort # 4 | 4-Year Rate | Difference from 2007 | Still in School | Non-Grad Completer5 | GED | Dropped Out | Expelled | |
| All Students | 77,383 | 81.2% | +0.3 | 6.0% | 0.7% | 2.0% | 9.9% | 0.2% |
| Female | 37,761 | 84.7% | +0.6 | 4.5% | 0.7% | 1.8% | 8.3% | 0.1% |
| Male | 39,622 | 78.0% | +0.2 | 7.5% | 0.8% | 2.2% | 11.4% | 0.2% |
| LEP 6 | 4,511 | 55.8% | +2.5 | 14.0% | 4.0% | 0.7% | 25.4% | 0.1% |
| Special Education | 14,629 | 64.1% | +1.3 | 15.1% | 1.8% | 1.8% | 17.0% | 0.2% |
| Low Income | 25,311 | 64.8% | -0.4 | 10.8% | 1.2% | 3.1% | 19.7% | 0.3% |
| African American | 6,877 | 68.4% | +3.2 | 12.5% | 1.7% | 1.8% | 15.3% | 0.4% |
| Asian | 3,349 | 86.7% | +3.0 | 4.7% | 0.8% | 1.2% | 6.4% | 0.1% |
| Hispanic | 9,871 | 58.3% | -0.2 | 12.7% | 1.7% | 2.3% | 24.6% | 0.3% |
| Multi-race, Non-Hisp. | 942 | 80.5% | +0.9 | 6.3% | 1.0% | 2.9% | 9.3% | 0.1% |
| Native American | 225 | 66.7% | -1.7 | 8.0% | 1.3% | 3.6% | 20.4% | 0.0% |
| Pacific Islander | 91 | 70.3% | +6.7 | 11.0% | 1.1% | 4.4% | 13.2% | 0.0% |
| White | 56,028 | 86.6% | +0.2 | 4.1% | 0.4% | 1.9% | 6.8% | 0.1% |
| Urban | 24,035 | 63.6% | +0.5 | 11.7% | 1.4% | 3.0% | 20.1% | 0.2% |
| Graduates | Non-Graduates | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 Cohort # | 4-Year Rate | Difference from 2007 | Still in School | Non-Grad Completer | GED | Dropped Out | Expelled | |
| African American Female | 3,404 | 74.2% | +2.1 | 9.3% | 1.6% | 1.5% | 13.2% | 0.1% |
| African American Male | 3,473 | 62.7% | +4.2 | 15.5% | 1.7% | 2.1% | 17.4% | 0.6% |
| Asian Female | 1,595 | 89.3% | +3.8 | 3.6% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 5.4% | 0.1% |
| Asian Male | 1,754 | 84.4% | +2.5 | 5.8% | 1.0% | 1.3% | 7.3% | 0.2% |
| Hispanic Female | 4,759 | 64.4% | +0.4 | 10.3% | 1.8% | 2.3% | 21.1% | 0.1% |
| Hispanic Male | 5,112 | 52.6% | -0.6 | 15.0% | 1.7% | 2.3% | 28.0% | 0.4% |
| Multi-race Female | 476 | 84.5% | +0.1 | 5.3% | 0.8% | 3.2% | 6.3% | 0.0% |
| Multi-race Male | 466 | 76.4% | +2.1 | 7.3% | 1.1% | 2.6% | 12.4% | 0.2% |
| Native American Female | 106 | 69.8% | +0.2 | 10.4% | 0.0% | 2.8% | 17.0% | 0.0% |
| Native American Male | 119 | 63.9% | -3.4 | 5.9% | 2.5% | 4.2% | 23.5% | 0.0% |
| Pacific Islander Female | 40 | 60.0% | -15.0 | 7.5% | 0.0% | 7.5% | 25.0% | 0.0% |
| Pacific Islander Male | 51 | 78.4% | +24.2 | 13.7% | 2.0% | 2.0% | 3.9% | 0.0% |
| White Female | 27,381 | 89.3% | +0.5 | 2.9% | 0.3% | 1.7% | 5.6% | 0.1% |
| White Male | 28,647 | 84.1% | +0.1 | 5.2% | 0.5% | 2.2% | 7.9% | 0.2% |
| Graduates | Non-Graduates | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 Cohort # | 4-Year Rate | Difference from 2007 | Still in School | Non-Grad Completer | GED | Dropped Out | Expelled | |
| Special Ed. Female | 5,269 | 67.4% | +2.1 | 13.7% | 1.8% | 1.7% | 15.4% | 0.0% |
| Special Ed. Male | 9,360 | 62.2% | +0.9 | 15.9% | 1.8% | 1.9% | 17.9% | 0.2% |
| Graduates | Non-Graduates | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 Cohort # | 4-Year Rate | Difference from 2007 | Still in School | Non-Grad Completer | GED | Dropped Out | Expelled | |
| LEP Female | 2,165 | 60.7% | +1.9 | 12.7% | 4.2% | 0.8% | 21.5% | 0.0% |
| LEP Male | 2,346 | 51.2% | +2.9 | 15.3% | 3.7% | 0.6% | 29.1% | 0.2% |
| LEP in Original Cohort | 2,845 | 59.5% | +2.7 | 11.5% | 1.9% | 1.0% | 26.0% | 0.1% |
| LEP Entered Cohort after 10/1/04 | 1,666 | 49.4% | +1.4 | 18.3% | 7.5% | 0.2% | 24.5% | 0.1% |
| Graduates | Non-Graduates | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 Cohort # | 4-Year Rate | Difference from 2007 | Still in School | Non-Grad Completer | GED | Dropped Out | Expelled | |
| African American LEP | 760 | 60.4% | +4.6 | 17.5% | 7.0% | 0.1% | 15.0% | 0.0% |
| African American Non-LEP | 6,117 | 69.4% | +3.0 | 11.9% | 1.0% | 2.0% | 15.4% | 0.4% |
| Asian LEP | 680 | 74.0% | +5.6 | 11.8% | 2.5% | 0.4% | 11.2% | 0.1% |
| Asian Non-LEP | 2,669 | 90.0% | +3.0 | 3.0% | 0.4% | 1.3% | 5.2% | 0.1% |
| Hispanic LEP | 2,382 | 46.7% | +1.7 | 15.1% | 4.0% | 0.8% | 33.1% | 0.2% |
| Hispanic Non-LEP | 7,489 | 62.0% | -0.4 | 11.9% | 1.0% | 2.8% | 22.0% | 0.3% |
| Multi-race LEP | 23 | 47.8% | -2.2 | 8.7% | 13.0% | 0.0% | 30.4% | 0.0% |
| Multi-race Non-LEP | 919 | 81.3% | +0.9 | 6.2% | 0.7% | 2.9% | 8.8% | 0.1% |
| Native American LEP | 10 | 70.0% | +32.5 | 10.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 20.0% | 0.0% |
| Native American Non-LEP | 215 | 66.5% | -3.2 | 7.9% | 1.4% | 3.7% | 20.5% | 0.0% |
| Pacific-Islander LEP | 6 | 83.3% | +33.3 | 16.7% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Pacific Islander Non-LEP | 85 | 69.4% | +5.1 | 10.6% | 1.2% | 4.7% | 14.1% | 0.0% |
| White LEP | 650 | 64.2% | +0.5 | 8.5% | 1.5% | 1.4% | 24.5% | 0.0% |
| White Non-LEP | 55,379 | 86.9% | +0.3 | 4.1% | 0.4% | 2.0% | 6.6% | 0.1% |
| Graduates | Non-Graduates | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Schools Attended | 2008 Cohort # | 4-Year Rate | Difference from 2007 | Still in School | Non-Grad Completer | GED | Dropped Out | Expelled |
| One School | 65,324 | 86.2% | +0.1 | 4.1% | 0.6% | 1.5% | 7.5% | 0.2% |
| Two Schools | 9,645 | 58.7% | -0.1 | 14.8% | 1.2% | 4.3% | 20.7% | 0.3% |
| Three Schools | 1,818 | 39.7% | -1.2 | 21.8% | 1.1% | 4.7% | 31.8% | 1.0% |
| Four or More Schools | 596 | 28.0% | -0.4 | 29.5% | 1.0% | 4.9% | 35.2% | 1.3% |
| Still in School | Dropped Out | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | CD | No CD | Number | CD | No CD | |
| All Students | 4,662 | 62.2% | 37.8% | 7,659 | 33.8% | 66.2% |
| Female | 1,709 | 59.1% | 40.9% | 3,140 | 35.8% | 64.2% |
| Male | 2,953 | 64.0% | 36.0% | 4,519 | 32.3% | 67.7% |
| LEP | 628 | 47.0% | 53.0% | 1,147 | 12.9% | 87.1% |
| Special Education | 2,209 | 44.8% | 55.2% | 2,489 | 27.0% | 73.0% |
| Low Income | 2,738 | 60.3% | 39.7% | 4,993 | 27.6% | 72.4% |
| African American | 857 | 56.4% | 43.6% | 1,054 | 25.7% | 74.3% |
| Asian | 159 | 71.1% | 28.9% | 214 | 33.2% | 66.8% |
| Hispanic | 1,250 | 58.7% | 41.2% | 2,433 | 19.5% | 80.5% |
| Multi-race, Non-Hisp. | 59 | 69.5% | 30.5% | 88 | 31.8% | 68.2% |
| Native American | 18 | 83.3% | 16.7% | 46 | 37.0% | 63.0% |
| Pacific Islander | 10 | 40.0% | 60.0% | 12 | 50.0% | 50.0% |
| White | 2,309 | 65.4% | 34.5% | 3,812 | 45.0% | 55.0% |
| 2008 Four-Year Graduation Rate | Number of Districts | Percentage of Districts |
|---|---|---|
| < 50% | 9 | 3.2 |
| 50 - <60% | 5 | 1.8 |
| 60 - <70% | 12 | 4.2 |
| 70 - <80% | 43 | 15.1 |
| 80 - <85% | 33 | 11.6 |
| 85 - <90% | 65 | 22.9 |
| 90 - <95% | 81 | 28.5 |
| 95 - 100% | 36 | 12.7 |
| Total | 284 | 100 |
| 2008 Four-Year Graduation Rate | Number of Schools | Percentage of Schools |
|---|---|---|
| < 50% | 37 | 10.8 |
| 50 - <60% | 21 | 3.4 |
| 60 - <70% | 19 | 5.7 |
| 70 - <80% | 50 | 12.3 |
| 80 - <85% | 30 | 11.4 |
| 85 - <90% | 68 | 18.2 |
| 90 - <95% | 80 | 21.4 |
| 95 - 100% | 58 | 16.8 |
| Total | 363 | 100 |
1 The Urban group includes all students in the 24 districts that participate in the Department's Urban Superintendent Network (Boston, Brockton, Cambridge, Chelsea, Chicopee, Everett, Fall River, Fitchburg, Framingham, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Leominster, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, New Bedford, Pittsfield, Quincy, Revere, Somerville, Springfield, Taunton and Worcester).
2 Due to rounding, row percentages may not equal 100 percent.
3 In the reporting of aggregate results, students are included in the first column (from left to right) for which they qualify. For example, students who dropped out or were expelled, but earned a GED, are included in the GED category. Students are only reported in one category.
4 The cohort count is as of the end of 2007-08 school year. The status (e.g. graduate, enrolled) is updated as of October 1, 2008.
5 Non-Grad Completer includes 1) students who earned a certificate of attainment, 2) students who met local graduation requirements but the district does not offer certificates of attainment, and 3) students with special needs who reached the maximum age (22) but did not graduate.
6 The limited English proficient, special education, and low income subgroups include all students that were reported in those categories at least once in high school. Students can be counted in more than one group.
7 Mobility refers to the number of different high schools that the student attended within the Commonwealth. Students who never moved or moved in from another state or a private school and attended one public high school in Massachusetts are represented in the "One School" row.
8 Includes districts with at least six students in the cohort. District analyses include charter schools, regional school districts and vocational/technical high schools.
9 Includes schools with at least six students in the cohort