The current dropout rate is calculated by dividing the number of dropouts
by cumulative enrollment in Grades 7 - 12. Cumulative enrollment is the
count of all students reported in attendance during any six-week reporting
period. If students enroll on several campuses during a school year, they
are counted in attendance at every campus on which they are enrolled. However,
when aggregating dropout information, the student is only counted once at
the campus, district, county, region, and state level. Cumulative enrollment
more closely parallels the number of dropouts counted for that entire school
year. Although this rate is less comparable to the dropout rates reported
before 1992-93, it provides a more accurate reflection of the dropout situation
and more uniform data for comparison between districts and campuses.
A longitudinal rate may be calculated by dividing the number of students
who drop out over several years, such as from 7th to 12th grade, by the
number of students who entered school during the beginning year of the period
under study. Since Texas has only been collecting student information since
1990-91, a true longitudinal dropout rate cannot be calculated until the
1995-96 school year. Therefore, Texas' estimated longitudinal rate is calculated
by subtracting the annual rate as a percentage of 1.0 and raising the resulting
retention rate to the sixth power. The retention rate is then subtracted
from 1.0 for the final estimated longitudinal dropout rate.