Colorado’s four-year graduation rate for K-12 students improves; Dropout rate increases too
DENVER, Colo. (KRDO) -- According to the Colorado Department of Education, the statewide four-year graduation rate improved with the Class of 2022. However, so did the dropout rate, the first time in over five years.
The CDE said the four-year graduation rate in the past academic year was 82.3%, a 0.6 percentage point increase from the previous year. A total of 56,284 students graduated, which was 442 more students than in 2021.
Since 2010, when the state changed how data was reported, Colorado's four-year graduation rate improved by 9.9%.
For students of color, the CDE said the graduation rate for the 2021-22 school year was 76.8%, an increase of 0.7 percentage points from the previous year.
The table below with data provided by the CDE shows the four-year graduation rates by race/ethnicity for the Class of 2022.
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate | Graduates | % point change from 2021 |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 65.4% | 331 | -2.0 |
| Asian | 93% | 2,092 | +1.5 |
| Black | 77.4% | 2,301 | +1.4 |
| Hispanic | 75.1% | 17,718 | +0.9 |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 61.1% | 118 | -15.4 |
| Two or More Races | 81.3% | 2,257 | -0.3 |
| White | 87.3% | 31,467 | +0.7 |
According to the CDE, the four-year graduation rate for females was 85.7%, a 0.2 percentage point increase from 2020-21. That totaled 28,637 graduates. The male graduation four-year rate for males was 79.1%, totaling 27,647 graduates, a 1.2 percentage point increase from the previous year.
Below is the Colorado Graduation Rate Dashboard for 2021-2022. The data shows the graduation rates broken down across the state, by district, school, and the overall four-year graduation rate increase.
In Colorado, students can stay enrolled beyond their fourth year of high school to graduate in five, six, or even seven years after entering ninth grade. According to the CDE, the six and seven-year rates both increased in 2022.
For extended-year graduation rates, the CDE found:
- After last spring, a total of 8.2% or 5,597 students from the 2021-22 four-year cohort remain enrolled and could graduate or complete high school in five, six or seven years after entering the ninth grade.
- For the Class of 2021, the five-year state graduation rate was 85.7%, 4 percentage points higher than the Class of 2021’s four-year rate of 81.7%.
- For the Class of 2020, the six-year state graduation rate was 87.1% (compared to the four-year rate of 81.9%).
- For the Class of 2019, the seven-year state graduation rate was 87.2% (compared to the four-year rate of 81.1%).
However, the state dropout rate did also increase last year for the first time since 2015. According to the CDE, the state's 2021-22 overall dropout rate increased to 2.2%, a 0.4 percentage point increase from 2020-21.
The CDE reports 10,524 students in grades seven through 12 dropped out in the 2021-22 school year. Additionally, a total of 48.1% of districts reported their dropout rates were higher in 2021-22 than in 2020-21.
Below is data on the dropout rates by race/ethnicity for the Class of 2022:
| Race/Ethnicity | Dropout Rate |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 5.1% |
| Asian | 0.8% |
| Black | 3.0% |
| Hispanic | 3.5% |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 3.9% |
| Two or More Races | 2.2% |
| White | 1.3% |
According to the CDE, the overall dropout rate for males was 2.5% and the female dropout rate was 1.9%.
For more information on the graduation statistics, click here.
For more information on the dropout data, click here.
