Orange County Register, "O.C. graduation rate at 81.7%"

Orange County’s high school graduation rates was 81.7% in 2010, with a dropout rate of about 14%, according to a new state tracking system that officials said is more accurate. The latest results were lower than 2009’s 87.9% graduation rate and 13% dropout rate, but officials said the change in reporting makes comparisons unreliable. Statewide, the 2010 graduation rate was 74.4% and the dropout rate 18%. - HTN Foundation

O.C. graduation rate at 81.7%

By FERMIN LEAL and SCOTT MARTINDALE

THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Seniors of the graduating class of 2011 celebrate by tossing their caps into the air as graduation ceremonies end at Newport Harbor High School in this file photo from June. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTEROrange County's high school graduation reached 81.7 percent for the Class of 2010, with a dropout rate of about 14 percent, according to new figures released Thursday.

This was the first year graduation and dropout rates were calculated using the state's new California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System, which tracked student classes, or cohorts, over a four-year period.

Both figures represent a poorer performance than the 87.9 percent graduation rate and 13 percent dropout rate Orange County posted in 2009 under the state's older, less sophisticated tracking system, but officials say the switch in reporting tools means the two years can't be fairly compared.