On-Time Graduation Rate

In October 2008, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) for the first time released cohort on-time graduation rates for schools, school divisions and the commonwealth. This new statistic is known as the Virginia On-Time Graduation Rate.

The Virginia On-Time Graduation Rate is based on individual student data tracked over four years in the Virginia Department of Education’s Educational Information Management System. Unlike other “graduation rates,” the On-Time Graduation Rate formula followed each student who entered the ninth-grade for the first time in the 2004-2005 school year, and tracked their mobility and/or retention through graduation 2008.

The Virginia On-Time Graduation Rate is calculated by dividing the number of students who earned a diploma in 2008 by the number of students who entered the ninth-grade for the first time in 2004-2005 (plus transfers in, minus transfers out).

This new rate provides an accurate benchmark of what happens to high school students as they move toward graduation and allows NNPS to target its efforts on increasing the graduation rate.

More Information

• NNPS On-Time Graduation Report, 2009

• NNPS approach helps students earn diplomas (March 31, 2009)

• NNPS On-Time Graduation Report, 2008

• Frequently Asked Questions about the Virginia On-Time Graduation Rate

• NNPS is taking action to increase graduation rate (October 8, 2008)

• More about the Virginia On-Time Graduation Rate from the Virginia Dept. of Education