2006 Annual Report

South Dakota’s graduation rate decreased in the last several years, a trend the Department of Education anticipated. With the implementation of No Child Left Behind, the department began building a database of information that would allow calculation of a graduation rate that includes students who leave the education system anytime during their 9th- through 12th-grade years. Each school year since 2003-04, as the data became available, the department added another high school class to the graduation rate calculation. As more students were added, the graduation rate predictably declined. The 2003-04 number below reflects just 12th-grade students (the only data available at that time). The 2005-06 number below reflects 12th, 11th and 10th-grade students. The calculation for 2006-07 will include 9th-grade students and make the database complete. At that time, the department expects to have a more accurate picture of graduation here in South Dakota.