Statewide, 81.3% of the class of 2008 graduated on time. Armstrong High School managed to graduate 54.8% of their students on time, while Franklin Military graduated 93.8% of their students in the same time period. Citywide the on-time graduation rate is 67.5%. Check out the city-wide numbers by school. (PDF)

The Virginia On-Time Graduation Rate is a cohort graduation rate that expresses the percentage of students who earn a Board of Education-approved diploma within four years of entering high school for the first time. Percentages are based on longitudinal student-level data and account for student mobility and retention and promotion patterns. The formula for calculating the Virginia On-Time Graduation Rate also recognizes that students with disabilities and limited-English proficient students are allowed more than the standard four years to earn a diploma while still being counted as “on-time” graduates.

Cohort graduation rates such as the Virginia On-Time Graduation Rate provide a more accurate picture of what happens to students as they move toward graduation. Schools, school divisions and the state also can use longitudinal data to identify students who require additional assistance or targeted intervention to earn a diploma and graduate on time. In addition, longitudinal data provides schools, school divisions and the state with data to support decisions and programs to improve educational outcomes for all students.

Note: Students who earn diplomas after more than four years or complete high school without a diploma are not dropouts and the dropout rate for a school, school division or the state is not the inverse of the graduation rate. A cohort completion rate is also provided that includes students who exit high school with a GED or locally awarded certificate of completion.