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Colorado's high school graduation rate improves

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Posted at 11:26 AM, Jan 10, 2023
and last updated 2023-01-10 13:26:53-05

DENVER — Colorado’s high school graduation rate continues to climb, albeit marginally.

The four-year graduation rate for the class of 2022 was 82.3%. That number represents a 0.6% increase from the previous year, according to data released Tuesday by the Colorado Department of Education (CDE).

In Colorado, a total of 56,284 students graduated in four years, which was 442 more students than in 2021.

The four-year graduation rate in Colorado has improved 9.9% since 2010 when the state changed how the data were reported, according to the CDE.

Colorado’s 2021-22 overall dropout rate is 2.2%. This is an increase of 0.4 percentage points from 2021 and the first time the dropout rate increased since 2015.

“I’m so excited that last year more kids than ever graduated from Colorado public schools, with increased graduation expectations and despite the challenges of the pandemic,” said Colorado Education Commissioner Katy Anthes in a statement.

The report also revealed improvement in the state’s graduation gap between minority students and white students.

The four-year graduation rate for students of color in the 2021-22 school year was 76.8%, an increase of 0.7 percentage points from the previous year.

CDE has created interactive tools and maps to better illustrate how the graduation and dropout rates look across the state.

Statewide four-year graduation rates
Class of 2022
82.3%, 56,284 graduates
Class of 2021
81.7%, 55,842 graduates
Class of 2020
81.9%, 55,220 graduates
Class of 2019
81.1%, 54,239 graduates

Statewide five-year graduation rates
Class of 2021
85.7%, 58,390 graduates
Class of 2020
86.0%, 57,841 graduates
Class of 2019
85.1%, 56,805 graduates

Statewide six-year graduation rates
Class of 2020
87.1%, 58,542 graduates
Class of 2019
86.6%, 57,792 graduates

Statewide seven-year graduation rates
Class of 2019
87.2%, 58,121 graduates