Iowa continues to report 4-year and 5-year cohort graduation rates to reflect the work districts and schools put forth in helping all students earn diplomas. Iowa has adopted 4-year and 5-year cohort graduation rate methodology in accordance with federal requirement 34 CFR 200.19(b)(1)(i). This methodology is also known as the Title I graduation rate. The 4-year cohort graduation rate is calculated for the class of 2011 by dividing the number of students in the cohort (denominator) who graduate with a regular high school diploma in four years or less (by the 2010-2011 school year) by the number of first-time 9th graders enrolled in the fall of 2007 minus the number of students who transferred out plus the total number of students who transferred in.
The 5-year cohort graduation rate is calculated using a similar methodology as the four-year cohort rate. This rate is calculated by dividing the number of students in the cohort (denominator) who graduate with a regular high school diploma in five years or less (by the 2010-2011 school year) by the number of first-time 9th graders enrolled in the fall of 2006 minus the number of students who transferred out plus the total number of students who transferred in.