What does this measure?

The number of students who transferred from a regular high school program to a GED program, as a percentage of their cohort. A GED program prepares students for the tests required to earn the General Educational Development credential, which certifies that a student has demonstrated a level of knowledge equal to or greater than 40% of graduating high school seniors. The cohort is the class of ninth-graders beginning high school together.

Why is this important?

A GED offers students who did not make it through high school a credential allowing them to pursue higher education and certain careers. While these figures do not show the number of students actually obtaining GEDs, they indicate how many students were pursuing this alternative path out of high school toward a productive future.

How is the region performing?

Very small proportions of students have been leaving high school to pursue GEDs. About 0.5% of students in the class of 2015 had transferred to GED programs by the time their class graduated, just below the state rate (excluding NYC) of 0.6%. The region's rate has fallen from 1.0% in 2008. Orange and Dutchess had the lowest proportion of students pursuing GEDs in the region at 0.3%, followed by Ulster (1.3%). Notable rates were in Goshen (2.7%) and New Paltz (3%).

Notes about the data

Data for earlier years were not comparable because cohorts were not tracked in the same way.