Beginning with the class of 2006, public high school students must pass the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) to graduate. The exam tests students in English language arts and math. The English language arts section tests state standards for grades 9 and 10 and includes one writing exercise. The math section covers standards for grades 6 and 7 and Algebra I.

Students first take the exam in the spring of their sophomore year, but they have multiple changes to pass the test before graduation. A student who passes one section of the test does not take that section again. The 10th grade results are used to help determine whether high schools have made adequate yearly progress (AYP) under the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

The first two charts below show CAHSEE passing rates broken down by ethnicity, and then by sex and special programs. The final chart shows passing rates over time.

Note: Results are estimates.
Data: California Department of Education (CDE), 8/24/10; Independent Evaluation of the California High School Exit Examination: 2010 Evaluation Report, Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO), 10/27/10.
Adapted from EdSource’s 2011 Resource Cards on California Education.

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