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Calculations and Definitions
Calculations
Graduation/Completion Data Calculation
4-year Graduation Rate
Number of students in the AYG cohort receiving a regular diploma
[within four years of entering ninth grade]
Divided by
AYG Cohort Size
[Number of students entering from ninth grade
plus number of transfers in
minus number of verified transfers out]
4-year Completion Rate
Number of students in the AYG cohort receiving a regular diploma
plus those completing with a non-diploma certificate or High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED)
[within four years of entering ninth grade]
Divided by
AYG Cohort Size
[Number of students entering from ninth grade
plus number of transfers in
minus number of verified transfers out]
Data Notes
The completion counts and rates include all students who graduate in four years with a regular diploma plus students who complete in four years with a HSED or non-diploma certificate. It is important to note that graduates are included in the completer count and rate, therefore the completion counts and rates for any school or district will be greater than or equal to the graduation rate.
Extended Year (5-, 6-, 7-year) Graduation and Completion rates utilize the same calculations for each applicable AYG cohort.
Beginning in 2006-07, Colorado school districts could not report students as transfers unless an official request for the student’s educational records is received from the school in question. If this request is not received, the Colorado district is required to report the student as a dropout.
Understanding Graduation/Completion Rates
The short informational video and PPT below provide a high-level overview of the graduation and completion calculations and data collection process.
Definitions
Graduation/Completion Data Definitions
Graduate
CDE defines a graduate as a student who received a regular high school diploma upon completion of location graduation requirements (e.g. course work and assessments) and met Colorado’s Graduation Guidelines.
Completer
CDE defines a completer as a student who graduates with a regular high school diploma, receives a High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED), or receives a non-diploma certificate of completion. It is important to note the definition of completer includes graduates. This means the counts and rates associated with completers will always be equal to or greater than the graduation counts and rates.
Anticipated Year of Graduation (AYG)
The year a student is expected to graduate high school based upon the year they first begin attending a Colorado public high school. An unchanging AYG is assigned to a student as part of the Student End of Year data collection by adding three years to the school year the student first begins ninth grade in the state of Colorado. Transfer students who enter a Colorado public high school for the first time at an upper grade level are assigned an AYG in a similar manner, adding two years to the school year for tenth graders, one year for eleventh graders, and assigning the current school year to twelfth graders since they are expected to graduate at the end of the school year.
Anticipated Year of Graduation (AYG) Cohort
The count of all students in a district/school/student group with the same anticipated year of graduation.
Instructional Program/Service Type (IPST)
Services provided by schools and/or districts for students identified as belonging to one or more of the categories below at any point during their high school career (grades 9-12).
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).
Multilingual Learner (also known as English Learner)
Students who have been identified as Non-English Proficient (NEP), Limited English Proficient (LEP), or Fluent English Proficient Monitor Years 1 and 2 (FEP Monitor 1, FEP Monitor 2). 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. Fluent English Proficient students in year 1 or 2 of monitor status are students who have spoken, or currently speak, a language other than English, but who can comprehend, speak, read, and write English comparable to their monolingual English-speaking peers. Districts must provide language services to all English Learners.
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 2009, this amount was $39,220 for a family of four). Families with income up to 130 percent of the federal poverty level qualify for the free lunch program (in 2009 this amount was $27,560 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.
Title 1
Students in schools receiving grants under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) who are beneficiaries of educational resources paid with those Title I funds. For schools that operate schoolwide (SW) Title I programs, all students are considered Title I and are eligible for support and services. For schools that operate targeted assistance (TA) Title I programs, only students identified as at risk of failing to meet Colorado’s academic achievement standards who receive supports and services paid with Title I funds are considered Title I students. School Title I designation and grant formulas are based on the numbers of students eligible for free or reduced cost meals (FRM).
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.
Military Connected
Students who have a parent or guardian who is an active-duty member of the Armed Forces or on full-time National Guard duty.
Foster
Students in foster care as reported to CDE by the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS).
Previous School Years
This section contains archived Graduation statistics based upon the Student End of Year data collection.
Data collected each school year reflects the 4-year rates for the current Anticipated Year of Graduation (AYG) and the 5-, 6-, and 7-year rates for the applicable AYG cohorts. AYG cohorts are always referred to by the Spring semester of the school year. For example, AYG 2020 are students who were anticipated to graduate at the end of the 2019-2020 school year.
2023-2024
2023-24 School Year: Graduation/Completion Statistics (Archive)
This data shows how long students took to graduate:
- Four years — anticipated year of graduation 2024
- Five years — anticipated year of graduation 2023
- Six years — anticipated year of graduation 2022
- Seven years — anticipated year of graduation 2021
Read the Jan. 2025 CDE Graduation & Dropout Press Release
Colorado's four-year graduation and dropout rates show steady improvements; continued gaps across student groups
Data Files
- Summary of 2023-24 Graduation/Completion Release (PDF)
- Three-year Statewide Graduation/Completion Trends (XLS)
- Workbook Containing State, District, and School Level Graduation and Completion Data (XLS)
- Graduation and Completion Rates by State and Subgroups
- Graduation and Completion Rates by District, Gender, and Race/Ethnicity
- Graduation and Completion Rates by District and Instructional Program Service Type
- Graduation and Completion Rates by School, Gender, and Race/Ethnicity
- Graduation and Completion Rates by School and Instructional Program Service Type
- AYG 2024 4-year Still Enrolled Rates: District and School Level (XLSX)
2022-2023
2022-23 School Year: Graduation/Completion Statistics (Archive)
This data shows how long students took to graduate:
- Four years — anticipated year of graduation 2023
- Five years — anticipated year of graduation 2022
- Six years — anticipated year of graduation 2021
- Seven years — anticipated year of graduation 2020
Data Files
Summary of 2022-23 Graduation/Completion Release (DOC)
Workbook Containing State, District, and School Level Graduation and Completion Data (XLSX)
Graduation and Completion Rates by State and Subgroups
Graduation and Completion Rates by District, Gender, and Race/Ethnicity
Graduation and Completion Rates by District and Instructional Program Service Type
Graduation and Completion Rates by School, Gender, and Race/Ethnicity
Graduation and Completion Rates by School and Instructional Program Service Type
Workbook Containing District and School Level Still Enrolled Data (XLSX)
Special Considerations
Small districts
49 of Colorado's 185 school districts and BOCES had an AYG 2023 graduation cohort sizer of 15 or fewer students.
Graduation Guidelines
In the 2020-21 school year, Colorado's Graduation Guidelines went into effect with full implementation in the 2021-2022 school year. Graduating students demonstrate readiness for career, college, and the military in Reading, Writing, Communicating and Mathematics with measures selected from the Menu of Demonstration Options.
Other non-graduating completers
The 2022-23 four-year completion rate for the state is 1.5 percentage points higher than the four-year graduation rate. The completion rate includes all graduates plus students who receive a HSED or certificate of completion.
Alternative Education Campuses (AECs)
In the 2022-23 school year, there were 86 Alternative Education Campuses located across 44 local education agencies (districts, BOCES and CSI). At least 90% of the students served at AEC schools are considered at high risk of dropping out.
2021-2022
2021-22 School Year: Graduation/Completion Statistics (Archive)
This data shows how long students took to graduate:
- Four years — anticipated year of graduation 2022
- Five years — anticipated year of graduation 2021
- Six years — anticipated year of graduation 2020
- Seven years — anticipated year of graduation 2019
Data Files
2022 Combined Data Release (XLS)
District and School Graduates and Completers by Subgroups
District/LEA Level
Graduates and Completers by Districts, Gender and Race/Ethnicity
Graduates and Completers by Districts and Instructional Program Service Type
School Level
Graduates and Completers by School, Gender and Race/Ethnicity
Graduates and Completers by School and Instructional Service Program Type
Still Enrolled Rates (XLS)
AYG 2021-2022 Still Enrolled Rate by District
AYG 2021-2022 Still Enrolled Rate by School
2020-2021
2020-21 School Year: Graduation/Completion Statistics (Archive)
This data shows how long students took to graduate:
- Four years — anticipated year of graduation 2021
- Five years — anticipated year of graduation 2020
- Six years — anticipated year of graduation 2019
- Seven years — anticipated year of graduation 2018
Data Files
2021 Combined Data Release (XLS)
District/LEA Level
- Graduates and Completers by Districts, Gender and Race/Ethnicity (XLS)
- Graduates and Completers by Districts and Instructional Program Service Type (XLS)
School Level
- Graduates and Completers by School, Gender and Race/Ethnicity (XLS)
- Graduates and Completers by School and Instructional Service Program Type (XLS)
Still Enrolled Rates (XLS)
Special Considerations
Small districts
53 of Colorado's 185 school districts and BOCES had a 2021 graduation cohort base (students who could have potentially graduated as part of the class of 2021) of 16 or fewer students.
Other non-graduating completers
The 2021 four-year completion rate for the state is 1.5 percentage points higher than the four-year graduation rate. The completion rate includes all graduates plus students who receive a HSED or certificate of completion.
Alternative Education Campuses (AECs)
In the 2020-21 school year, there were 87 Alternative Education Campuses located in 44 local education agencies (districts, BOCES and CSI). At least 90% of the students served at AEC schools are considered at high risk of dropping out.
2019-2020
2019-20 School Year: Graduation/Completion Statistics (Archive)
This data shows how long students took to graduate:
- Four years — anticipated year of graduation 2020
- Five years — anticipated year of graduation 2019
- Six years — anticipated year of graduation 2018
- Seven years — anticipated year of graduation 2017
Data Files
2020 Combined Data Release (XLS)
District/LEA Level
- Graduates and Completers by Districts, Gender and Race/Ethnicity (XLS)
- Graduates and Completers by Districts and Instructional Program Service Type (XLS)
School Level
- Graduates and Completers by School, Gender and Race/Ethnicity (XLS)
- Graduates and Completers by School and Instructional Service Program Type (XLS)
Still Enrolled Rates (XLS)
Special Considerations
Small districts
52 of Colorado's 185 school districts and BOCES had a 2020 graduation cohort base (students who could have potentially graduated as part of the class of 2020) of 15 or fewer students.
Other non-graduating completers
The 2020 four-year completion rate for the state is 1.5 percentage points higher than the four-year graduation rate. The completion rate includes all graduates plus students who receive a HSED or certificate of completion.
Alternative Education Campuses (AECs)
In the 2019-20 school year, there were 93 Alternative Education Campuses located in 47 local education agencies (districts, BOCES and CSI). At least 90% of the students served at AEC schools are considered at high risk of dropping out.
2018-2019
2018-19 School Year: Graduation/Completion Statistics (Archive)
This data shows how long students took to graduate:
- Four years — anticipated year of graduation 2019
- Five years — anticipated year of graduation 2018
- Six years — anticipated year of graduation 2017
- Seven years — anticipated year of graduation 2016
Data Files
2019 Combined Data Release (XLS)
District/LEA Level
- Graduates and Completers by District, Gender, and Race/Ethnicity (XLS)
- Graduates and Completers by District, and Instructional Program Service Type (XLS)
School Level
- Graduates and Completers by School, Gender and Race/Ethnicity (XLS)
- Graduates and Completers by School and Instructional Service Program Type (XLS)
Still Enrolled Rates (XLS)
Special Considerations
Small districts
43 of Colorado's 185 school districts had a 2019 graduation cohort base (students who could have potentially graduated as part of the class of 2019) of 15 or fewer students.
Other non-graduating completers
The 2019 four-year completion rate for the state is 1.8 percentage points higher than the four-year graduation rate. The completion rate includes all graduates plus students who receive a HSED or certificate of completion.
Alternative Education Campuses (AECs)
In the 2018-19 school year, there were 93 Alternative Education Campuses located in 47 local education agencies (districts, BOCES and CSI). At least 90% of the students served at AEC schools are considered at high risk of dropping out.
Data Notes
Beginning in 2006-07, Colorado school districts could not report students as transfers unless an official request for the student’s educational records is received from the school in question. If this request is not received, the Colorado district is required to report the student as a dropout.
Extended Year (5-, 6-, 7-year) Graduation and Completion rates utilize the same calculations for each applicable AYG cohort.
The completion counts and rates include all students who graduate in four years with a regular diploma plus students who complete in four years with a HSED or non-diploma certificate. It is important to note that graduates are included in the completer count and rate, therefore the completion counts and rates for any school or district will be greater than or equal to the graduation rate.
FAQs
Q: What is an Anticipated Year of Graduation (AYG)?
A: An Anticipated Year of Graduation, or AYG, is an unchanging year assigned to a student when they enter a Colorado public high school for the first time, typically in 9th grade. When a student initially enters the ninth grade in Colorado, as part of the Student End of Year (SEY) data collection, an anticipated year of graduation is assigned for four years later. Students entering above ninth grade are assigned based upon their grade level on or after October 1st of that year. A tenth-grader is assigned an AYG three years later, an eleventh-grader—two years, and a twelfth- grader—one year. It is important that a district records the appropriate grade level in their Student End of Year data collection.
Q: What if a tenth-grader transfers into a district from out of state, but he/she only has enough credit for a ninth-grade placement?
A: In this situation, a district should record this student as a ninth-grader in the Student End of Year collection. Otherwise, a first record of tenth-grade in EOY for this student will result in the expectation that this student will graduate in three years, which will be reflected in his or her assigned anticipated year of graduation.
Q: What happens if a student is retained in third grade? Will that impact their anticipated year of graduation?
A: No. The anticipated year of graduation is assigned when a student enters ninth grade for the first time in Colorado. This assignment process accommodates the infrequent instance where students briefly enter ninth grade before being retained in eighth grade on or prior to Oct. 1 in the Student End of Year data collection.
Q: What if a student is retained during high school? Will that impact the four-year graduation rate?
A: Students who are retained in ninth grade or later may adversely impact the four-year graduation rate unless intensive educational services are provided for them to catch up and complete high school in their anticipated year of graduation.
Q: What students typically don't graduate in four years?
A: Students who interrupt their coursework for a semester or more (for work, health issues or any reason at all), or students who start off below grade level may require additional time to complete high school and thus may not graduate in four years. The five-year, six-year and seven-year graduation rates will account for these students.
Q: How will districts get credit for students who take longer to graduate?
A: A series of rates will be produced to show a district's progress in meeting the needs of all students in a graduating class. Five-, six- and seven-year graduation rates will be produced. Early graduates will be reflected in three-year rates available to districts through the secure Colorado Education Data Analysis and Reporting System. Three-year rates are not posted publicly to protect student data privacy due to small student group sizes. All early graduates are incorporated into the 4-year graduation rate for an anticipated year of graduation cohort when this data is publicly available.
Q: If a district recovers dropouts, won't that hurt its on-time graduation rate?
A: Possibly, depending on the student's previously assigned AYG. However, the district's five-, six-, and seven-year rates will subsequently increase, and the district's re-engagement rate will reflect efforts to serve former dropouts.
Q: How will the continuation of dropout recovery efforts impact a district's accreditation because these students take longer than four years to graduate?
A: A series of rates will be produced showing a district's progress in meeting the needs of all students in a graduating class. Five-, six-, and seven-year graduation rates will be produced.
Q: How will students enrolled in the five-year Accelerating Students through Concurrent Enrollment (ASCENT) program be counted?
A: Students in the ASCENT program will be counted as graduates in the four-year graduation rate as long as they have met graduation requirements. Students in five-year programs who meet graduation requirements in the fifth year will be included in the five-year extended graduation rate.
Q: How will students enrolled in the six-year Teacher Recruitment Education and Preparation Program (TREP) or Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools (P-TECH) program be counted?
A: Students in the TREP or P-TECH programs will be counted as graduates in the four-year graduation rate as long as they have met graduation requirements. Students in six-year programs who meet graduation requirements in the fifth or sixth year will be included in the five- or six-year extended graduation rate as applicable.
Q: How will the four-year graduation rate impact a school for those students on IEPs who take longer than four years to graduate?
A: Students who do not graduate in four years do affect the four-year graduation rate. However, if these students earn a diploma within the following three years, they will be recorded as part of the five-, six-, or seven-year graduation rates.
Q: Does the four-year graduation rate trump IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) exception provisions?
A: No. The federal IDEA (34 CFR §300.101) states that a “free appropriate public education [FAPE] must be available to all children residing in the state between the ages of 3 and 21, inclusive, including children with disabilities.” The Preamble to the Act (34 CFR §300.102) in the Federal Register explains further that “the calculation of graduation rates under the ESEA for AYP purposes (34 CFR 200.19(a)(1)(i)) does not alter the exception to FAPE provisions in § 300.102(a)(3) for children with disabilities who graduate from high school with a regular high school diploma, but not in the standard number of years.”
In Colorado, FAPE is available until age 21, even though the child would not be included as graduating for AYP purposes under the ESEA. In practice, though, there is no conflict between IDEA and ESEA. The U.S. Department of Education interprets the ESEA title I regulations to allow states to propose a method for accurately accounting for students who legitimately take longer than the standard number of years to graduate.
Q: How will students with disabilities participating in Secondary Transition be counted?
A: Beginning in 2020-2021, students with disabilities who participate in Secondary Transition will be counted as graduates in the four-year graduation rate as long as they have met graduation requirements. Otherwise, the student will be counted as a graduate in the applicable extended year rate in which they meet graduation requirements (five-, six-, or seven-year).
Q: Does the four-year graduation rate include students in state-operated programs, eligible facilities, and private schools?
A: No; rates are only calculated for public schools.
Q: Why doesn’t the high school completer, still enrolled and dropout rate add up to 100%?
A: Adding the dropout, completer (which includes Graduates and HSED completers), and still enrolled rates will not equal 100%. These rates will not add up to 100% because the completer and still enrolled rates use a set of students based on graduation cohort rather than the annual count of students used for the dropout rate.
The dropout rate is calculated based on all students enrolled within the district between the 7th and 12th grade for the current year. It is an annual calculation of students who dis-enroll without providing documentation of transfer. If a student drops out of school in 2017-18, they will be counted in the 2017-18 Dropout Rate even if they later re-enroll in the 2018-19 school year.
The denominator for the graduation, completer, and still enrolled rate is based on the students with a common anticipated year of graduation (AYG). A student’s AYG is set when a student enters the 9th grade. Four years are added to the current school year and this will become the student’s AYG. All students who last attended a school with a common AYG are grouped together and this set is used to calculate the graduation, completer, and still enrolled rates. Students who drop out of a school will remain part of that school’s AYG cohort group until they re-enroll elsewhere or provide documentation of their educational status.
As a result, the students within the set of data used to calculate the graduation, completer, and still enrolled rate is not the same as the group of students used to calculate the annual dropout rate. Since these calculations use two different sets of data, it does not make sense to add the percentages associated with these calculations together. Typically, the denominator for the graduation, completer, and still enrolled rates will be much smaller than the number of students used to determine the dropout rates because the dropout rate represents all students in the 7-12th grade range.
Q: Why did Colorado's graduation rate calculation change in the 2009-2010 school year?
A: The U.S Department of Education asked all states to implement a four-year graduation rate so that data would be more consistent in cross-state comparisons. In prior years there were a wide variety of different methods used across the nation to calculate graduation rates.
Student Data Privacy
Data privacy guidelines are applied to publicly reported district and school level dropout rates to maintain student data privacy. The methods for student data privacy include blurring of membership base sizes with small populations, blurring membership base sizes for subgroups with small populations, and top/bottom masking of rates. While complicated, these methods ensure student data is protected while providing transparent information regarding dropout rates as much as possible.
Student Privacy Background
Effective August 10, 2016, the Student Data Transparency and Security Act (PDF) (HB 16-1423; C.R.S.22-16-101 et seq.), brought statewide attention to Student Data Privacy. The purpose of this Law is to increase the transparency and security of all Student Personally Identifiable Information (Student PII) that the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) and Local Education Providers (LEPs) collect and maintain. The Law aims to maximize trust in the use of student data in the elementary and secondary education system, by having vendors contracting with schools or educational agencies in Colorado contractually agree to comply with certain requirements if they are to collect information from students.
In addition to the Student Data Transparency and Security Act (HB 16-1423; C.R.S.22-16-101 et seq.), Colorado Schools and Parents also rely heavily upon the Privacy Guidance offered by FERPA (Family Education Rights and Privacy Act). FERPA, a Federal Law, was enacted by Congress in 1974 (November 19, 1974) to protect the privacy of students and their parents. The act is designed to ensure that students and parents of students may obtain access to the student's educational records and challenge the content or release of such records to third parties.
Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, the following data privacy guidelines are applied to publicly reported district and school level graduation/completion rates to maintain student data privacy. The methods for student data privacy include blurring of AYG cohort/membership base sizes with small populations, blurring AYG cohort/membership base sizes for subgroups with small populations, and top/bottom masking of rates. While complicated, these methods ensure student data is protected while providing transparent information regarding graduation/completion rates, dropout rates, and mobility/stability rates as much as possible.
Graduation/Completion Rates
When the AYG Cohort Size (all students) is 15 or less, all subgroup information is shown as (-) and rates are masked at ≥ 90% and ≤ 10%.
When the AYG Cohort Size (all students) is 16-50, all subgroups are shown as '50 or less' and rates are masked at ≥ 98% and ≤ 2%.
When the AYG Cohort Size (all students) is 51 or greater the specific cohort size is reflected. Subgroups with a size of 0-50 students are shown as '50 or less' and subgroups with a size of 51 or greater are shown as the specific subgroup size when doing so does not directly disclose a complementary subgroup size of 50 or less. If a subgroup of 50 or less would be disclosed, the complementary larger subgroup will be shown as '51 or greater'. Rates are masked at ≥ 98% and ≤ 2%.
Printable Aggregate Data Privacy Guidelines (PDF)
Sample Dataset
2021-2022 Graduation/Completion Rates combined district & school workbook (XLSX)