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Indicator: High School Graduation Rate

Data and Data Discussion provided by Sustainable Seattle

Figure 1: On-Time High School Graduation Rates

Figure 2: On Time Graduation Rates of Classes of 2001, 2002 and 2003 by King County Region

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Upstream Indicators
  •   Parent/Guardian Involvement in Child's Learning --- There were no significant changes between 2001, 2004, and 2007 in the King County or regional percentages. Eighty-four percent (84%) of King County families with young children either read or told stories to their young children every day in 2004.  (view data graph)
  •   Physical and Mental Health Restrictions --- The percentage of King County adults with severe activity limitation increased between 1998 and 2007. This local finding is consistent with national trends. This local increase corresponds to worsening trends nationally.  (view data graph)
  •   Quality Affordable Child Care --- In a 2007 countywide survey of households with children age 5 and under, 54% of the children in these households were reported to be in child care on a regularly scheduled basis. Meanwhile, 20% of school-age children (6-14) were in regularly scheduled child care. This is an increase from 2004.   (view data graph)
  •   Risk and Protective Factors in Youth --- Participation by King County schools in the Healthy Youth Survey has not been consistent and therefore limits what can be concluded. The percentages for King County 8th graders may or may not be representative. The 2004 figures show that most youth report having some level of certain protective factors in their daily lives. Many do not.  (view data graph)
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Downstream Indicators
  •   Living Wage --- Almost half of all jobs do not provide enough income for a family of 4 with 2 full-time wage earners. Because this indicator is measured differently than in previous years, it is difficult to make comparisons.  (view data graph)
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Related Goals

Sustainability Snapshot:

Disparities in high school graduation rates indicate where we - as a community - might be failing particular segments of the student population. For a student who does not graduate from high school, the career outlook is bleak. High school dropouts earn significantly less on average than students finishing high school and going onto at least some college. And, according to the Seattle Foundation's A Healthy Community report, half the people without high-school diplomas lack health insurance and they run out of food money 10 times as often as college graduates.

Sustainability Trend:

91.7 percent of King County residents aged 25 and older had a high school education or greater, while the on-time graduation rate for high school students in King County in 2005 was 76.5%. No statistically significant trends were observed in the preceding 5 years.

Data Discussion

The Indicator Defined

The on-time graduation rate is based on cohorts of students. Students are assigned a graduation year at the beginning of Grade 9 and tracked to determine what percent of their cohort successfully complete high school in four years.

Data Interpretation/Evaluation

For many years the graduation rate was based on the percent of students who graduate out of the number of students enrolled in 12th grade in October for the school year. This calculation does not account for dropouts prior to 12th grade, so it is considered to be an overstatement of the actual percent of students who graduate. Using this definition, King County’s graduation rate has hovered between 80% and 90% since the early 1990s (data not shown).

An alternative “on time” graduation measure is now being reported by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and is reported by school district as shown in the table. These graduation data are based on cohorts of students, in this case, the Classes of 2001, 2002, and 2003. The graduation year is assigned at the beginning of Grade 9 and all students are followed over time to determine what percent successfully complete high school and graduate in four years, accounting for transfers in and out, and for deaths. (Figure 2)

According to this cohort method of following students through school, King County school districts show a range in completion rates from 60.9% to 95.5% in 2001, 51.4% to 93.4% in 2002, and 43.2% to 95.2% in 2003.

In King County, the graduation rate for white students is 82 percent, compared with 80 percent for all Asian and Pacific Islander students combined, 57 percent for African Americans, 56 percent for Hispanic students and 51 percent for Native American students. (Figure 3)

Data Source and Limitations

Data for this indicator was compiled by Sustainable Seattle.

Graduation rates are from Dropout Rates and Graduation Statistics by County and School District, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Figure 1 was accessed from King County Annual Indicators and Measures.  Figure 2 and related data were contributed by Communities Count (www.communitiescount.org).  Figure 3 and related data was accessed from United Way of King County's Community Assessment. 

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