News Release - Statewide four-year graduation rate improves

Jan. 10, 2023

Statewide four-year graduation rate improves

Dropout rate increases slightly after pandemic

DENVER -- The four-year graduation rate for the Class of 2022 was 82.3% – a 0.6 percentage point increase from the previous year, according to data released today by the Colorado Department of Education.

A total of 56,284 students graduated in four years, which was 442 more students than in 2021. The four-year graduation rate in Colorado has improved by 9.9 percentage points since 2010 when the state changed how the data were reported. Graduation rates also improved for students who finished in six and seven years.

“Graduation is the ultimate goal in K-12 education because it’s the launch pad for success in a career or with postsecondary education,” said Katy Anthes, Colorado’s education commissioner. “I’m so excited that last year more kids than ever graduated from Colorado public schools, with increased graduation expectations and despite the challenges of the pandemic.

“This is the first year the state’s Graduation Guidelines Menu of Options went into effect, allowing students several different ways to demonstrate their readiness for careers, college or the military. We must all take a moment to recognize this accomplishment, which is even more significant considering the difficulties of these past few years,” Anthes said.

State dropout rate

The state’s 2021-22 overall dropout rate is 2.2%. This is an increase of 0.4 percentage points from 2021 and the first time the dropout rate increased since 2015. In total, the state saw 10,524 students in grades seven through 12 drop out in the 2021-22 school year -- 2,232 more students than in 2020-21. A total of 48.1% of districts reported their dropout rates were higher in 2021-22 than in 2020-21.

Graduation Guidelines

The state’s Graduation Guidelines went into full effect in the 2021-22 school year. As part of their graduation requirements, school districts had the opportunity to provide multiple pathways for students to demonstrate what they know or can do upon graduation. Students could choose from a Menu of Options embedded in each school district’s graduation requirements to demonstrate their readiness for career, college and the military in both English language arts and math.

Extended-year graduation rates

Colorado supports students continuing in high school who need more time to meet graduation requirements or who are participating in specific high school postsecondary programs. In Colorado, students may remain enrolled beyond their fourth year of high school to graduate in five, six or seven years after entering ninth grade. The six- and seven-year rates both increased in 2022.

After last spring, a total of 8.2% or 5,597 students from the 2021-22 four-year cohort remain enrolled and could graduate or complete high school in five, six or seven years after entering the ninth grade.

• For the Class of 2021, the five-year state graduation rate was 85.7%, 4 percentage points higher than the Class of 2021’s four-year rate of 81.7%.
• For the Class of 2020, the six-year state graduation rate was 87.1% (compared to the four-year rate of 81.9%).
• For the Class of 2019, the seven-year state graduation rate was 87.2% (compared to the four-year rate of 81.1%).

Graduation rates by ethnicity and race

The four-year graduation rate for students of color in the 2021-22 school year was 76.8%, an increase of 0.7 percentage points from the previous year. The table below breaks down the four-year graduation and dropout rates by race/ethnicity for the Class of 2022.

Graduation and dropout rates by gender

The statewide, four-year graduation rate for females was 85.7% (28,637 graduates), a 0.2 percentage point increase from 2020-21. The male graduation four-year rate was 79.1% (27,647 graduates), a 1.2 percentage point increase from the previous year. The overall dropout rate for males was 2.5% and the female dropout rate was 1.9%.

Graduation rate by Instructional Program Service Type

The state also reports graduation and dropout rates by different programs and services that students may receive. A summary of the 2022 graduation and dropout rates for these students in these programs is reported in the table below.

 *House Bill 19-1066 requires local education providers beginning in 2020-21 to count students with disabilities as graduates in the year at which they meet minimum graduation requirements, regardless of whether they will participate in transition programs in future years. The increases in four-, five-, six-, and seven-year graduation rates in 2022 likely show the impact of this legislation.

**A student who comprehends, speaks, reads, or writes some English, but whose predominant comprehension or speech is in a language other than English; also includes students who are non-English proficient.

Completion rate

The completion rate includes all graduates and those students who receive a certificate, a designation of high school completion, or a High School Equivalency Diploma. The Class of 2022 had a four-year completion rate of 84.1% or 57,456 students, which includes 1,172 students receiving a certificate, a High School Equivalency Diploma, or meeting credit requirements but not meeting graduation guidelines competencies. This is a 0.9 percentage point increase from the previous year. The five-year completion rate was 87.7%. The six-year completion rate was 89.3%, and the seven-year completion rate was 89.7%.

Tools to understand the numbers

CDE has created interactive tools and maps to better illustrate how the graduation and dropout rates look across the state.

• Graduation statistics for the state, district and school level are available on this webpage.
• Dropout statistics for the state, district and school level are available on this webpage.
• Graduation and dropout statistics at the district and school level are available on this webpage along with other statewide data.

Statewide four-year graduation rates

Class of 2022

82.3%, 56,284 graduates

Class of 2021

81.7%, 55,842 graduates

Class of 2020

81.9%, 55,220 graduates

Class of 2019

81.1%, 54,239 graduates

Statewide five-year graduation rates

Class of 2021

85.7%, 58,390 graduates

Class of 2020

86.0%, 57,841 graduates

Class of 2019

85.1%, 56,805 graduates

Statewide six-year graduation rates

Class of 2020

87.1%, 58,542 graduates

Class of 2019

86.6%, 57,792 graduates

Statewide seven-year graduation rates

Class of 2019

87.2%, 58,121 graduates

10 de Enero de 2023

Mejora la tasa de graduación de cuatro años a nivel estatal

La tasa de deserción escolar aumenta ligeramente después de la pandemia

DENVER -- La tasa de graduación de cuatro años para la clase de 2022 fue del 82.3 %, un aumento de 0.6 puntos porcentuales con respecto al año anterior, según datos publicados hoy por el Departamento de Educación de Colorado.

• Después de la primavera pasada, un total de 8.2 % o 5,597 estudiantes de la cohorte de cuatro años 2021-22 permanecen inscritos y podrían graduarse o completar la escuela secundaria en cinco, seis o siete años después de haber ingresado al noveno grado.
• Para la clase de 2021, la tasa de graduación estatal de cinco años fue del 85.7 %, 4 puntos porcentuales más alta que la tasa de cuatro años de la clase de 2021 del 81.7 %.
• Para la clase de 2020, la tasa de graduación estatal de seis años fue del 87.1 % (comparado con la tasa de cuatro años del 81.9 %).
• Para la clase de 2019, la tasa de graduación estatal de siete años fue del 87.2 % (comparado con la tasa de cuatro años del 81.1 %).

 *El Proyecto de Ley 19-1066 requiere que a partir de 2020-21 los proveedores locales de educación cuenten a los estudiantes con discapacidades como graduados en el año en que cumplan con los requisitos mínimos de graduación, independientemente de si participarán en programas de transición en años futuros. El aumento en las tasas de graduación de cuatro, cinco, seis y siete años en 2022 probablemente muestra el impacto de esta legislación.

**Estudiantes que entienden, hablan, leen o escriben algo de inglés, pero que entienden o hablan predominantemente en un idioma que no es el inglés, incluye a los estudiantes que no dominan el inglés.

• Las estadísticas de graduación para los niveles estatal, distrital y escolar están disponibles en esta página web.
• Las estadísticas de deserción escolar para los niveles estatal, distrital y escolar están disponibles en esta página web.
• Las estadísticas de graduación y deserción escolar a nivel de distrito y escuela están disponibles en esta página web junto con otros datos estatales.

Tasas de graduación de cuatro años a nivel estatal