Getting a Grip on Graduation Rates: It’s No Easy Task

With the school year having recently been completed, there has been a lot of talk about graduations and graduation rates. According to state data, New Mexico’s rate is 67.3 percent. But, according to the latest “Diplomas Count” study, New Mexico’s graduation rate is only 57.1 percent. According to this same study, APS’s graduation rate is 55.4 percent (49th of 51 states (including the District of Columbia).

According to the State, however, APS graduates kids at a 64.7 percent rate with the various schools in the City charted here. The problem is that, according to the Albuquerque Journal, 12 percent of those students were not actually qualified to receive their diplomas.

Yes, there is some difference in the years being analyzed here, but a majority of the discrepancy has to do with varying methods of calculation. In a free market or even “choice” environment with competing schools, you can bet that we’ve have a firm grasp on these numbers. Until then, finding out the truth about graduation is a real challenge.