D.C. graduation rate falls to 59% under new calculations

The District’s graduation rate fell to 59 percent in 2011 as school officials adopted a more rigorous and accurate method of calculating the figure.

About 53 percent of students graduated within four years from D.C. Public Schools, and 80 percent graduated on time from the city’s public charter schools, using the federally required “cohort” graduation rate, which tracks students starting in the ninth grade to get a more accurate figure. Discluding alternative high schools, DCPS’ graduation rate was about 61 percent.