PDF & Related Info
ContactThe source of the data for this report is the 2004–05 Common Core of Data (CCD). Information was reported to NCES by state education agencies in the spring of 2005. There are three nonfiscal CCD surveys that collect basic descriptive data on public education in the nation: the school survey (Public School Universe Survey), local education agency survey (Local Education Agency Universe Survey), and state survey (State Nonfiscal Survey). Fiscal CCD data are gathered at the state level by NCES in the National Public Education Financial Survey (NPEFS) and at the local level in the Annual Survey of Local Government Finances (F-33 series of the Census of Local Governments) conducted by the Governments Division of the U.S. Census Bureau. The most recent fiscal year for which data are available is 2005. Puerto Rico fiscal data were taken from the fiscal year 2004 NPEFS.
CCD data are provided by a CCD Coordinator in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Bureau of Indian Education, the Department of Defense dependents schools (overseas and domestic), and four outlying areas (American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands). Data for all of these states and jurisdictions are included in this report. If a data item is marked "data not available," it indicates the state or jurisdiction did not report the data item in its CCD submission or that the item was suppressed because the information was incorrect or could possibly disclose a student's identity.
Districts represented in this report have various sizes and geographic locations. The District of Columbia, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico are each administered as one school district. Some districts comprise a substantial portion of a state's total student membership, while others make up only a small fraction of membership.
CCD data are reported by state education agencies (SEAs) for individual schools and districts within the state, as well as for the state as a whole. Staff at NCES and its collection agent, the U.S. Census Bureau, work with the SEAs to clean and edit the data. State CCD coordinators correct or confirm any numbers that are challenged in the NCES edits. NCES accepts the states' responses to these edit questions; however, in a limited number of situations, if the SEA does not provide NCES with the explanation or new data for an item, NCES will suppress or edit the data.
NCES challenges SEA data under several circumstances. Some examples of edits include numbers appearing out of range when compared to national averages, the previous year's data, or internal state reports. If a response is logically impossible or appears implausibly large or small NCES will consult with the state and replace the response with a logically acceptable alternative. In the 2004–05 CCD, three of the 100 largest districts were reported as having either all or none of their schools Title I eligible. These numbers appeared implausible when the percent of Title I eligible schools for each of the 100 largest districts was compared with 2003–04 reports. Consultation with the respective state CCD Coordinators confirmed that these numbers were incorrect, and the values were changed to "not available." As another example of an edit, if a reported total is less than the sum of the detail comprising that total, the total will be changed to the sum of the detail. Missing data at the state level are imputed to support reporting national totals for the reporting year. Data may also be adjusted for confidentiality.
Some items were not available at the school district level. The following items describe nonresponse in the CCD school and agency universe surveys that affected the information presented in this report:
This report presents counts of high school completers and an averaged freshman graduation rate. The term "high school completer" includes both diploma recipients and other high school completers, but not high school equivalency recipients. The averaged freshman graduation rate only includes diploma recipients; it does not include other high school completers or those receiving a GED-based equivalency credential.
Diploma Recipients. These are individuals who are awarded, in a given year, a high school diploma or a diploma that recognizes some equivalent level of academic achievement. They can be thought of as students who meet or exceed the coursework and performance standards for high school completion established by the state or other relevant authorities.
Other High School Completers. These individuals receive a certificate of attendance or some other credential in lieu of a diploma. Students awarded this credential typically meet requirements that differ from those for a high school diploma. Some states do not issue an "other high school completion" type of certificate, but award all students who complete school a diploma regardless of what academic requirements the students have met. In order to make data as comparable as possible across states, this report includes both regular and other diploma recipients in its total number of high school completers. High school equivalency recipients are not included.
Exclusion of High School Equivalency Recipients. High school equivalency recipients are awarded a credential certifying that they have met state or district requirements for high school completion by passing an examination or completing some other performance requirement. High school equivalency diplomas are considered valid completion credentials, but high school equivalency recipients are not included in the total number of completers, for two reasons. First, high school equivalency recipients are reported on the CCD only at the state level and cannot be disaggregated to the district level. Second, not all states report high school equivalency counts on the CCD, and the statistic is therefore not comparable across states.
Averaged freshman graduation rate (AFGR). The averaged freshman graduation rate provides an estimate of the percentage of high school students who graduate on time (i.e., within 4 years of entering 9th grade for the first time). The rate uses aggregate student enrollment data (to estimate the size of an incoming freshman class) and aggregate counts of the number of diplomas awarded 4 years later. The incoming freshman class size is estimated by summing the enrollment in 8th grade in one year, 9th grade for the next year, and 10th grade for the year after and then dividing by three. The averaging is intended to account for higher grade retentions in the 9th grade compared with 8th and 10th grades. Ungraded students reported to the CCD were prorated into the individual grade enrollment counts. Thus
For more information on CCD school and agency universe surveys and response rates, see Overview of Public Elementary and Secondary Students, Staff, Schools, School Districts, Revenues, and Expenditures: School Year 2004–05 and Fiscal Year 2004 (Sable and Hill 2006). This report discusses missing data and data quality, and presents state totals for CCD data items from the school and agency surveys. It includes state-idiosyncratic treatment of charter and magnet schools as well as schools and districts with no student membership.
