The indicators in this section of The Condition of Education report on the progress students make through the education system. There are 24 indicators in this section. Particular attention is paid to how various subgroups in the population proceed through school and attain different levels of education as well as the factors that are associated with their success along the way.

The first two subsections focus on the educational aspirations and effort of students. The indicators include student measures of time spent on homework, preparedness for academic activities, postsecondary expectations, and patterns of school attendance.

The third subsection traces the progress of students through elementary and secondary education to graduation from high school or some alternate form of completion. Measures include the percentage of students who graduate high school on time (in 4 years) and the percentage who leave high school before completion (drop out). Dropouts are measured by event rates (the percentage of students in an age range who leave school in a given year) and status rates (the percentage of students in an age range who are not enrolled in school and who have not completed high school). Indicators 23-2008 and 27-2006 show the status dropout rate by race/ethnicity as well as characteristics of students in the spring of their sophomore year in 2002 who had dropped out 2 years later. In addition, the averaged freshman graduation rate estimates the on-time graduation rate for each state.

The fourth subsection examines the transition to college. An important measure is the percentage of students who make the transition to college within 1 year of completing high school. Indicator 17-2004 compares the rate of first-time enrollment in postsecondary education in the United States to the rates in other countries.

The fifth subsection concerns the percentage of students who enter postsecondary education who earn a credential and how much time they take to do so. This subsection also includes relationships between the qualifications and characteristics of students who enter postsecondary education and their success in earning a credential.

An overall measure of the progress of the population through the education system is attainment, which is the highest level of education completed by a certain age. This is the focus of the final subsection. The Condition of Education annually examines the level of attainment for those ages 25–29. Other indicators (26-2008 and 27-2008) examine factors related to the level of attainment and the number of undergraduate and graduate degrees earned over time by sex and race/ethnicity.