High School Completion Rates
The High School Completion Rate is the percentage of students that graduated from their high school with a regular diploma, rather than earning an alternative credential or dropping out of school sometime during their high school years. A separate completion rate is calculated for each graduating class, such as the "Class of 2004".
Calculation of Rate. The Class Completion Rate is calculated as follows:
The numbers used in the above calculation are described below:
- The Number of Graduates in the above formula is the count of individuals
who receive a regular high school diploma, any other type of high school diploma, or a certificate
of completion from their high school for a particular year, such as the “Class of
20xx”. Individuals who receive a high school equivalency certificate (GED) are not included
in this count. This data is prepared by each school administrative unit and submitted to the Maine
Department of Education through the Maine Educational Data Management System (MEDMS).
- The Number of Other Completers in the above formula is the count of individuals
who receive any other type of high school diploma or alternative credential from their high school for a
particular year, such as the “Class of 20xx”. Individuals who receive a high school equivalency certificate
(GED) are not included in this count. This data is prepared by each school administrative unit and
submitted to the Maine Department of Education through the Maine Educational Data Management
System (MEDMS).
- The Number of Dropouts is the count of individuals who dropped out but
might otherwise have graduated with their class. This dropout count is the sum of four separate
dropout counts:
- number of 9th grade students who dropped out four years prior to the year in which
their classmates graduated;
- number of 10th grade students who dropped out three years prior to the year in which
their classmates graduated;
- number of 11th grade students who dropped out two years prior to the year in which
their classmates graduated; and
- number of 12th grade students who dropped out during the year in which their
classmates graduated.
Each of these four dropout counts include students who dropped out during the school year, as well
as students who dropped out during summer vacation.
Data Source: Both the graduation count data and the dropout data are prepared by
each school administrative unit, and are submitted to the Maine Department of Education through the
Maine Educational Data Management System (MEDMS).
About this and other graduation rate calculations.
There are several different methods for estimating a Completion Rate. The method used in this profile is
the methodology adopted by the U.S. Department of Education and most State Departments of Education. Some
of the advantages of this calculation method include the following:
-
The rate is not affected by the number of students who transfer to another school unit in Maine or
transfer out of state.
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By excluding the GED (The Tests of General Education Development) count, the rate explicitly describes
graduation status that may be properly attributed to the organizations that are the focus of the School
Profiles Web Site: school administrative units and Maine's private high schools that are serving in lieu
of a public high school. GED diplomas are awarded through a GED Testing Center, which is different from
a traditional high school program.
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The rate does not use federal census data, which is affected to degree a by migrations in and out of Maine.
The net impact of these migrations cannot be accurately measured.
This completion rate calculation has only one weakness: dropouts, who later re-enter the local
high school, can lower the graduation rate. This factor is judged to have only a minor impact.
The federal government has now adopted this definition as an authorized federal statistical reporting
standard.
