Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015, states and districts are responsible for supporting and improving the quality of low-performing high schools. For all students and student subgroups, states must set long-term goals for the four-year high school graduation rate with measurements of interim progress. States may set goals for extended-year graduation rates (e.g., five-year or six-year graduation rate), but these goals must be higher than the four-year graduation rate goal.
