Sec. 10. (a) Except as provided in section 11 of this chapter, the four (4) year graduation rate for a cohort in a high school is the percentage determined under STEP FIVE of the following formula:

STEP ONE: Determine the grade 9 enrollment at the beginning of the reporting year three (3) years before the reporting year for which the graduation rate is being determined.

STEP TWO: Add:

(A) the number determined under STEP ONE; and

(B) the number of students who:

(i) have enrolled in the high school after the date on which the number determined under STEP ONE was determined; and

(ii) have the same expected graduation year as the cohort.

STEP THREE: Subtract from the sum determined under STEP TWO the number of students who have left the cohort for any of the following reasons:

(A) Transfer to another public or nonpublic school.

(B) Except as provided in IC 20-33-2-28.6 and subsection (b), removal by the student's parents under IC 20-33-2-28 to provide instruction equivalent to that given in the public schools

(C) Withdrawal because of a long term medical condition or death.

(D) Detention by a law enforcement agency or the department of correction.

(E) Placement by a court order or the department of child services.

(F) Enrollment in a virtual school.

(G) Leaving school, if the student attended school in Indiana for less than one (1) school year and the location of the student cannot be determined.

(H) Leaving school, if the location of the student cannot be determined and the student has been reported to the Indiana clearinghouse for information on missing children and missing endangered adults.

(I) Withdrawing from school before graduation, if the student is a high ability student (as defined in IC 20-36-1-3) who is a full-time student at an accredited institution of higher education during the semester in which the cohort graduates.

STEP FOUR: Determine the total number of students determined under STEP TWO who have graduated during the current reporting year or a previous reporting year.

STEP FIVE: Divide:

(A) the number determined under STEP FOUR; by

(B) the remainder determined under STEP THREE.

(b) This subsection applies to a high school in which:

(1) for a:

(A) cohort of one hundred (100) students or less, at least ten percent (10%) of the students left a particular cohort for a reason described in subsection (a) STEP THREE clause (B); or

(B) cohort of more than one hundred (100) students, at least five percent (5%) of the students left a particular cohort for a reason described in subsection (a) STEP THREE clause (B); and

(2) the students described in subdivision (1)(A) or (1)(B) are not on track to graduate with their cohort.

A high school must submit a request to the state board in a manner prescribed by the state board requesting that the students described in this subsection be included in the subsection (a) STEP THREE calculation. The state board shall review the request and may grant or deny the request. The state board shall deny the request unless the high school demonstrates good cause to justify that the students described in this subsection should be included in the subsection (a) STEP THREE calculation. If the state board denies the request the high school may not subtract the students described in this subsection under subsection (a) STEP THREE.

[Pre-2005 Elementary and Secondary Education Recodification Citation: 20-8.1-15-10.]

As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.10. Amended by P.L.242-2005, SEC.11; P.L.145-2006, SEC.151; P.L.229-2007, SEC.4; P.L.45-2008, SEC.1; P.L.43-2009, SEC.17; P.L.268-2013, SEC.1; P.L.159-2019, SEC.13.