More Chesterfield students are graduating in four years

The on-time graduation rate for Chesterfield County Public Schools improved to 85.9 percent in 2009, up from 84.7 percent the previous year, according to figures released recently by the Virginia Department of Education.

Chesterfield students continued to outperform their peers across Virginia; Virginia’s on-time graduation rate is 83.2 percent in 2009 and was 82.2 percent in 2008. For every subset of students who entered ninth grade in the fall of 2005, Chesterfield’s on-time graduation rate improved.

Students graduating on time is a key measure of success in Chesterfield County Public Schools’ Design for Excellence strategic plan, which includes strategies for increasing the percentage of students who graduate in four years with a standard or advanced diploma.

I would caution those listening against misinterpreting this data. Thousands of students who entered ninth grade in 2005 remain in school and continue to work toward finishing their graduation requirements. The dropout rate is not the inverse of the on-time graduation rate.