Graduation Rates
In Arkansas, high school graduation rates are measured using the Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR). This includes the percentage of students who graduate with a diploma within four years (4-year ACGR) of entering 9th grade. Graduation rate is a key indicator in the Success Ready Graduate component of the accountability system.
Graduation Rate Corrections
The Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) verification window will be open from November 6–20, 2025. During this time, districts and schools will have the opportunity to review and verify graduation data for accuracy before final reporting. Ensuring the accuracy of this data is critical, as ACGRs are a component of the high school letter grade formula.
Frequently Asked Questions
Grade Progression
Can a student who repeats a grade or falls behind in credits be removed from the graduation cohort?
A student who repeated a grade or falls behind in credits cannot be removed from the cohort. (ESSA Graduation Rate Guidance B-3)
Grade Progression
What happens if a student does not graduate in four years?
The student cannot be removed from the four-year cohort. Note: the five-year graduation rate is no longer part of the accountability formula.
Disciplinary / Program-Based
Can an expelled student be removed from the cohort?
A student who was expelled cannot be removed from the cohort. (ESSA Graduation Rate Guidance B-3)
Disciplinary / Program-Based
Can a student attending Youth Challenge, Job Corps, or CSTP be removed from the cohort?
Students who attend Youth Challenge, Job Corps, or CSTP cannot be removed from the graduation cohort, as these programs do not provide an education that meets the requirements for a standard high school diploma. (ESSA Graduation Rate Guidance B-9)
Disciplinary / Program-Based
Can a student in prison or juvenile corrections (not DYS) be removed from the cohort?
Arkansas prisons and juvenile corrections facilities do not offer an education program that meets the requirements for a regular high school diploma. A student in such a facility cannot be removed from the cohort. (ESSA Graduation Rate Guidance B-9)
Alternative Education / GED
Can a student who pursues a GED be removed from the cohort?
A student who pursued a General Equivalency Diploma (GED) may not be removed from the cohort. (ESSA Graduation Rate Guidance A-14)
Alternative Education / GED
What makes a student eligible for the Alternate Pathway to graduation?
- Be significantly cognitively disabled
- Take the alternate assessment in 9th and 10th grades
- Be marked as Alternate Pathway in eSchool
Alternative Education / GED
What happens when a student completes the Alternate Pathway?
Students must remain in holding and will re-enter into a cohort upon completion of the Alternate Pathway to Graduation.
Transfers & Withdrawals
What documentation is required to remove a student who transfers to another school out of state?
An on-time records request from the receiving school and a screenshot of the eSchool withdrawal page validating the transfer. (ESSA Graduation Rate Guidance B-12)
Transfers & Withdrawals
What documentation is required to remove a student who transfers to a private school?
An on-time records request from the receiving school and a screenshot of the eSchool withdrawal page validating the transfer. (ESSA Graduation Rate Guidance B-12)
Transfers & Withdrawals
What documentation is required to remove a student who emigrates to another country?
Provide an eSchool withdrawal screenshot, superintendent letter, or F-1 visa documentation. (ESSA Graduation Rate Guidance B-13)
Transfers & Withdrawals
What documentation is required to remove a student who enrolls in home school?
A copy of the ADE Notice of Intent to Home School form. (ESSA Graduation Rate Guidance B-12)
Transfers & Withdrawals
What documentation is required to remove a student who transfers to a residential treatment facility in another district?
A records request from the receiving school or a doctor’s note on official letterhead. (ESSA Graduation Rate Guidance B-12)
Other / Special Cases
What documentation is required to remove a deceased student from the cohort?
An obituary, a death notice, or a letter from the superintendent on district letterhead. (ESSA Graduation Rate Guidance B-14)
Other / Special Cases
Can students with significant cognitive disabilities who graduate based on IEP goals be counted in the graduation rate?
A diploma based on IEP goals may not be counted in the numerator but must be included in the denominator of the four-year and extended-year ACGR. (ESSA Graduation Rate Guidance A-14)
Other / Special Cases
What documentation is needed to validate a student as an on-time graduate?
The district must submit an official transcript showing the graduation date.
For more information, please contact:
Brooke McCain, Director of Monitoring & Accreditation
Arkansas Department of Education
Division of Elementary and Secondary Education
Public School Accountability
Four Capitol Mall, Box 26
Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: 501-371-8051
Email: Brooke.McCain@ade.arkansas.gov
Dr. Jeanie Johnson, Coordinator of Monitoring & Accreditation
Arkansas Department of Education
Division of Elementary and Secondary Education
Public School Accountability
Four Capitol Mall, Box 26
Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: 501-682-4213
Email: Jeanie.Johnson@ade.arkansas.gov
Division of Elementary and Secondary Education
Public School Accountability
Four Capitol Mall, Box 26
Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: 501-682-4213
Email: Jeanie.Johnson@ade.arkansas.gov
