High School Graduation
Raise DC's high-level goal: Every youth graduates from high school.
We aim to increase the percentage of youth who graduate from high school on time and are college/career ready.
Click on the buttons below or scroll down to see citywide data from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education on the indicators Raise DC tracks related to high school graduation, as well as Raise DC's programmatic work toward this goal.
We recommend viewing the following data on a desktop or laptop to fully explore an interactive version of the indicators disaggregated by a number of demographics.
Core Indicator: Adjusted cohort graduation rate
The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) tracks DC's high school graduation rate using the federal "cohort" model (the Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate, or ACGR), which calculates the number of students in DC Public Schools (DCPS) and public charter schools who graduate within four years of first entering high school. This measure serves as Raise DC's core indicator; view that data in the first tab below. Additionally, many of Raise DC’s partners recognize the importance of also tracking the five-year graduation rate, which is reported below for years in which it is available.
Source: Office of the State Superintendent of Education, 2018-19 Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate; see Data Dictionary for more. Note: Data on five-year graduation rates is unavailable for the graduating classes of 2016 and 2019.
High school graduation rates have seen overall gains since Raise DC began tracking this core indicator in 2013. However, with a citywide four-year rate at 68.2%, this means that more than 30% of our public high school students still do not graduate in the expected timeframe. We know that a high school degree or diploma is a critical stepping stone to earning sustainable wages in a future career, and Washington, DC, falls below the nationwide rate of 84.6%. To better understand why this is occurring, we look to disaggregated data.
DISAGGREGATED DATA
Raise DC has made a commitment to disaggregating data by key demographic factors in order to shine a light on where we can best make progress toward our high-level goal of improving high school graduation rates. Disaggregating data means breaking down information into smaller sub-populations, such as race/ethnicity, sex, and other demographic factors. Identifying where disparities exist is an important step to understanding and addressing inequities in our community.
DISAGGREGATION BY RACE/ETHNICITY
Graduation rates among racial/ethnic groups show that systemic racism is still playing an outsized influence in student success in the District. Data on the second tab in the above visualization shows that White/Caucasian students have historically graduated in four years at a higher rate (ranging from 85% to 91%) compared to their Black/African American (ranging from 60% to 73%) and Hispanic/Latinx (ranging from 62% to 72%) peers. It’s also important to note the racial/ethnic composition of students in DC’s public and public charter schools when considering these disparities and potential actions to take. In the Class of 2019, for example, approximately 72% of students identified as Black/African American, 16% as Hispanic/Latinx, and just 8% as White/Caucasian.
DISAGGREGATION BY OTHER DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS
The third tab in the visualization gives us a look at graduation rates for students who are affected by multiple risk factors (see Data Dictionary for more on this definition), students with disabilities, and English Language Learners. This data shows that students in these categories have disproportionately lower graduation rates.
For example, 50% of students with disabilities graduated in four years, compared to 68% of the citywide figure. That graduation gap has remained mostly static for the past six years.
While four- and five-year graduation rates have seen overall improvements among nearly every subgroup since 2013, rates for English Language Learners have not kept pace. This year, for example, graduation rates for this subgroup fell 5% to a rate of 51%.
CONTRIBUTING INDICATORS
Raise DC tracks several contributing indicators that influence the core indicator and, in turn, our citywide, high-level goal of high school graduation. Reflecting commonly accepted measures nationwide, you'll find DC-specific information below about 3rd grade reading and 8th grade math, as well as success in 9th grade.
3rd Grade Reading: PARCC Scores
Raise DC uses OSSE’s Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) scores to see how DC's students are faring earlier in the cradle-to-career continuum. Third grade reading PARCC scores have improved since students began this assessment in the 2014-2015 school year, with approximately 33% of students meeting or exceeding expectations now, an 8% increase from the first assessment.
DISAGGREGATED DATA
While scores have improved overall, prominent disparities across racial/ethnic lines still exist (second tab of visualization). For example, while 76% of White/Caucasian students met or exceeded expectations in the most recent assessment, only 24% of Black/African American students and 29% of Hispanic/Latinx students achieved the same results.
8th Grade Math: PARCC Scores
Similar to data in 3rd grade reading, 8th grade math PARCC scores have improved over the past four years, yet only approximately 25% of students met or exceeded expectations overall last school year.
DISAGGREGATED DATA
Data disaggregated by race/ethnicity reveals wide disparities among students within each 8th grade cohort (second tab of visualization). For example, only about 16% of Black/African American students and about 22% of Hispanic/Latinx student met or exceeded expectations in school year 2017-2018, compared to nearly 75% of their White/Caucasian counterparts.
In addition to this data, Raise DC recognizes that disparities early on in the high school pipeline may predict barriers to improved graduation rates. While examining cohorts of students who started in 9th grade between 2006 and 2009, Raise DC’s Graduation Pathways report found that approximately 25% of a student’s chances of graduating from high school could be accounted for by 8th grade characteristics, including attendance, course performance, special education, and English Language Learner status. Additional research suggests that students arriving at 9th grade who read below grade level or have not mastered basic math skills are more likely to be retained, fail courses during their freshman year, and remain off track for graduation.
9th Grade SUCCESS
National research indicates that success in 9th grade is highly predictive of on-time high school graduation. One measure – promotion to 10th grade – is seen as a critical step toward graduation and is used to gauge the effectiveness of strategies to support 9th grade students. Other measures of 9th grade success vary among school districts across the country, but many often include a combination of attendance, behavior, and course performance indicators.
Through Raise DC's 2014 Graduation Pathways report, citywide 9th grade data highlighted that 46% of first-time 9th graders (in 2008) ended their freshman year “off track,” meaning they were low on accumulating credits and had a high number of unexcused absences. The vast majority of students who fell off track eventually dropped out of school.
As the citywide graduation rates continue to shift into focus, and as students continue to enroll across DCPS and charter LEAs, developing a shared measure to consistently gauge the status of DC's 9th graders is an important step to continuously improving their chances of graduating from high school prepared and on time.
acting on the data
Armed with these measures of how our young people are faring in high school and prior, as well as an understanding of some of the demographic factors that further illuminate it, Raise DC's high school graduation-focused work provides opportunities to act on the data. Learn more about these efforts below. Have ideas on other ways to use this data for action? Reach out to Raise DC in the Get Involved section below.
OUR WORK
Graduation Pathways Project
In response to data showing areas of potential for adults to prepare youth to succeed in secondary education, Raise DC is currently focusing its high school efforts on 9th grade – including the transition to high school, success throughout this year, and promotion to 10th grade. This work primarily exists under the umbrella of the Graduation Pathways Project, a multi-sector initiative that ensures every youth – no matter how far off track they may be – has a path to graduation. The Graduation Pathways Project has become a springboard for numerous strands of work (Click links to learn more):
9th Grade Counts Network – our Change Network that focuses on the successful transition to and through 9th grade
Bridge to High School Data Exchange – a standardized process (now managed by OSSE) for ensuring essential early warning information is transferred quickly, automatically, and consistently as students enroll in 9th grade
Bridge to High School Kid Talk – an extension of the Data Exchange offering middle schools and high schools an opportunity to connect in person to share crucial qualitative date that allows them to plan supports for students to and through their freshman year
Graduation Pathways Summit – a convening of schools, agency leaders, and nonprofit partners that elevates strategies to ensure all youth have a path to graduation
Early Grade Change Network
Additionally, to positively influence young people even earlier in the cradle-to-career continuum, Raise DC established the Early Grade Change Network in 2019, which focuses on building stronger foundational literacy skills in K-2nd grades. This Change Network, comprised of in- and out-of-school time providers and local education agencies, ultimately seeks to improve 3rd grade reading PARCC scores and set up children for success in later grades, including high school and beyond.
Learn more about Raise DC’s Change Networks and the student populations they serve.
Spotlight: BRIDGE TO HIGH SCHOOL SUCCESSES
The findings of the 2014 Graduation Pathways Project made clear that students’ success in 9th grade is a critical milestone to ensuring they graduate from high school fully prepared to excel in college and career. Since 2016, Raise DC’s 9th Grade Counts Network (9GCN) and the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) have worked together to develop and manage the Bridge to High School Data Exchange, an initiative designed to share key information about students leaving 8th grade and attending high school for the first time. Beyond this technical transfer of information, the Data Exchange enables high schools to learn about the needs and preferences of their incoming students to best support them into and through their 9th grade year.
In early 2019, the management of the Data Exchange transitioned to OSSE’s purview, and the agency successfully maintained participation from 95% of public middle schools and high schools. All told, the Data Exchange has supported the middle-to-high school transition for more than 14,000 young people in DCPS and public charter schools over the last four years.
In August 2019, cross-sector representatives from 16 DC middle schools and high schools met at OSSE for the third annual Kid Talk – an event also managed by OSSE, with Raise DC support – to build upon the Data Exchange. The morning kicked off with a panel of practitioners from Stuart-Hobson Middle School, Thurgood Marshall Academy PCS, and Washington Latin PCS, who shared their experiences of making the Data Exchange actionable on their school campuses.
Stuart-Hobson Principal Kris Comefero summed up the value of the event: “I feel like a parent sending my kids to 25 different schools. I know them…but without this opportunity, all of this knowledge I have about my students would be lost.”
As one example of how schools are acting upon this data to improve student outcomes, Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter School (TMA) shares Bridge to High School information with incoming 9th graders to set freshman year goals and reflect upon their growth and progress throughout the year. TMA also takes advantage of Kid Talk to identify trusted adults from their students’ middle schools who can be called upon for additional encouragement or creative solutions if students face challenges.
Reflecting on TMA’s application of data-based insights with students, 9th Grade Dean Cortnie Miller emphasized that, “Building student agency is critical to their academic success.”
The panelists emphasized the importance of focusing on student strengths and preferences rather than past challenges. Whether using information about students’ 8th grade math performance to best place students in 9th grade courses or learning from a student’s middle school advocate about how they approached family engagement, the panelists highlighted promising school-based practices that generated from conversations at prior Kid Talks.
Through the matched discussion portion of Kid Talk participants considered supports for a total of 117 incoming 9th grade students as they cycled through meetings with DCPS and PCS school staff.
Get involved
Receive updates on Raise DC's work in the graduation pathways project and the high school graduation space:
Some photos provided courtesy of DC Public Charter School Board