Dropout Rates, Graduation Rates Increase Statewide

One of the last press releases by outgoing State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O¹Connell released the annual report on graduation and dropout rates for 2008-2009 school year. 70.1 percent of public school students in California graduated from high school, up from 68.5 percent last year. The adjusted four-year derived dropout rate for the same school year is 21.7 percent, up from 18.9 percent last year.

When reviewed by subgroup statewide, the graduation and dropout rate data continue to highlight the achievement gap.

The fact that our schools are operating today on $21 billion less than we had anticipated just three short years ago, I believe are contributing towards the drop out rate,² O¹Connell said.

The 2008-09 data represents the third year of calculating student graduation and dropout rates by collecting student-level enrollment and exit data.

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