The Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate for Public High Schools from the Common Core of Data: School Years 2002-03 and 2003-04 (U.S. Department of Education/NCES, June 2006)

In this report, NCES calculates the Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate (AFGR), which provides an estimate of the percentage of high school students who graduate on time, by dividing the number of graduates with regular diplomas by the size of the incoming freshman class four years earlier, expressed as a percent. The size of the incoming freshman class is estimated by summing the enrollment in the eighth grade in one year, ninth grade for the next year, and tenth grade for the year after, then dividing by three. Among the chief findings:

• the AFGR for 2002-03 was 73.9 percent; for 2003-04, was 75 percent (with 48 states and the District of Columbia reporting);

• over this two-year period, 32 states and the District of Columbia experienced rate increases, one state experienced no change, and 15 states experienced declines; and, 

• for 2003-04, 15 states had rates of 80 percent or more, and 11 states and the District of Columbia had rates below 70 percent.