How the State Calculates a school's Graduation Rate

Recently, the Indiana Department of Education released statewide and individual school graduation rate data.  The state has designed the following formula for the calculation of a schools graduation rate:

Step 1:  Determine student cohort.

Total 2005-06 student cohort =

 The number of Grade 9 students from the original cohort in 2002-03

                                                plus

Total of the following:
• Incoming transfers that will graduate in 2005-06 not included in the original cohort
• Students retained from earlier cohorts that will now graduate in 2005-06
• Students from later cohorts that will graduate early in 2005-06    

minus

Total of the following
• Students that transferred to another public, non-public, home or virtual school
• Students withdrawn due to long term illness or death
• Students placed in detention by law enforcement or the department of correction
• Students placed by court order or the division of family and children
• Students from the total cohort that graduate before 2005-06
• Students who’s location cannot be determined and either have attended school in Indiana for less than one year or have been reported to the Indiana clearinghouse for

Step 2:  Divide number of graduates by total adjusted cohort.

2005-06 Graduation Rate = 2005-06 graduates divided by 2005-06 cohort

Due to an error in the submission of a state required report, Howe Military School’s graduation rate was reported as 26.7%.  The state had recorded too many people as being in the 2002 – 2003 cohort, thus those students were counted against Howe Military School’s graduation rate.  Howe Military School had the possibility of graduating 14 seniors for the class of 2006.  We graduated 12, (two cadets did not graduate due to disciplinary actions occurring before graduation) giving us a graduation rate of 85.7%.   This exceeds the state average of 76.5% for which Howe Military School is very proud.