What is the longitudinal dropout rate?
To measure how many beginning ninth graders drop out before completing high school, the longitudinal dropout rate is used. Individual student-level data are used to track students through the fall semester following their expected graduation date; each student then is assigned a final status of on-time graduate, GED recipient, continuing in high school, or dropout. A student is considered to be a graduate, continuer, GED recipient, or dropout from the school he or she last attended. A dropout is defined as a student who is enrolled in public school, does not return to public school the following fall, is not expelled, and does not graduate, receive a General Educational Development (GED) certificate, continue school outside the public school system, begin college, or die. Here is the formula. dropoutson-time graduates + continuers + GED recipients + dropouts If I am a high school principal, and I want to know how many students left my school without diplomas, I would use this longitudi
