Graduation rate for class of 2009 an increase from 2008

The high school graduation rate for the Clark County School District's class of 2009 was 68 percent, an improvement over 65 percent for the class of 2008, Superintendent Walt Rulffes said.

In a memo to School Board members, Rulffes called it a "good gain."

In Nevada, graduation rates are calculated by dividing the total number of diplomas awarded in a year by the total number of estimated dropouts from a senior class's last four years and the number of seniors who completed course work but did not graduate. The result is multiplied by 100 to get a percentage.

The formula has drawn criticism from education groups who argue that if dropouts are undercounted, the percentage of graduates improves. Last year, Education Week's annual Diploma Counts report estimated Nevada's graduation rate at 47 percent, the lowest in the nation.

Education Week, a newspaper that covers education across the country, used a different formula to calculate the likelihood of a student graduating in four years.

Local officials have said the Education Week survey does not take into account the state's high transiency rate.