Factors Affecting Graduation
in Colorado Public Schools
About 4 out of every 5 seniors in Colorado public schools will graduate. This doesn't fall too far behind the national average of 83.2 percent, but still means a staggering number of kids drop out in our state - in 2016, 26,880 students did not graduate with their class.
Black, Hispanic, low-income, and English Language Learning students all graduate at lower rates than their wealthier white and Asian, English-speaking peers. These discrepancies are as high as 60 percent among some demographics, meaning Colorado students are far from being set up with similar changes of success.
I aim not to explore what is happening in individual schools or how these discrepancies could be addressed, but to provide a snapshot of how exactly demographics affect graduation rate for counties across Colorado.
The data all has some interactive element, so keep an eye out for tips in blue.
Hover over the counties to display the graduation rate and total number of graduates.
Income & English Proficiency
Many low-performing counties are concentrated along the Front Range, which is also where the largest shares of students from low-income or limited English proficient households. Both populations of students graduate at lower rates than the average Colorado student.
Students from low-income households may struggle with basic necessities affecting their quality of life and educational performance, including housing and nutrition. Parents are also less likely to to be as present with children for activities like homework or transport to extracurriculars.
While many schools have English as a Second Language (ESL) programs, they often lack adequete funding. As a result, students muddy their way through classes they may not entirely understand with little support from home.
Hover over the counties to display county name and concentration of population (low-income or limited English.)
Gender
Gender is not included in these conversations as often, though the graph below does indicate that females consistently graduate at a higher rate than their male peers. This pattern isn't limited to Colorado, either - girls outperform boys in 70 percent of all countries surveyed by the Organization for Economic Development Cooperation and Development.
Increased behavioral activity levels in boys may be one potential factor contributing to girls higher educational achievement. Boys find it harder to sit still, so it makes sense that an education system geared towards traditional classroom lectures and increasing class times known as the block schedule may work against their success.
One notable outlier in this sample is Mesa county, shown at the bottom of the graph, where 65 percent of boys graduate compared to only 39 percent of girls. The teen pregnancy in Mesa county has historically been higher than the state average, although there are likely other contributing factors to be explored further.
Hover over dots to display count name, exact percentage, and total number of graduates.
Click county mode to isolate bubbles and click bubble to show horizontal placement of graduation rate.
Race
Most Colorado counties are not terribly diverse. Most students are white, with large populations of Hispanic students clustered in certain counties like Denver and Pueblo. The data in the table below has been limited to the six counties with at least 50 students in each of four races: white, black, Hispanic, and Asian.
Data from the past few years has highlighted the disadvantage of minorities in public education, especially comparing black and white students. Studies highlight that race may be an even better predictor of graduation success than class. Even in schools where class is not a significant factor show significant gaps between the performance of black and white students. Black students, represented by the blue diamonds, graduate at the lowest rate of all four races examined.
Hover over shapes to display county name and graduation percentage for selected race.
Gifted-Talented
Gifted and talented students have been identified for their superior academic performance, but can face unique challenges like behavioral and social dysfunction. Their success often requires special programs with trained faculty and additional administrative and financial support.
Most GT students graduate at higher rates than both their county average and the Colorado average. A small group is clustered in the lower left corner of the graph, representing schools with not many GT students whom graduate at a very low average rate. This suggests that having more students in the program may contribute to their success, likely because more students leads to more funding, although other factors like group support likely factor in.
Hover over shapes to display county name, the graduation rate for both GT and county, and total number of students for both the county and GT students.
Sources
All numbers taken from Colorado Department of Education data files under 2017 District Level Data.
Reporting information collected from:
Race, not just poverty, shapes who graduates in America by Chalkbeat
English Language Learners: How Your State Is Doing by NPR
Girls Get Good Grades But Still Need Help. As For Boys ... SOS! by NPR
Education Gap Grows Between Rich and Poor, Studies Say by the New York Times
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