Percentage of students who were attending school at the beginning of the reporting period but who dropped out during the reporting period.
Organizations should footnote all assumptions used, as well as any relevant details regarding the dropout rate.
This metric is intended to capture the percentage of students who left school permanently during the reporting period. For example, if 10 students enrolled in Grade Five and nine have finished as of the end of the reporting period (meaning that one student dropped out), the student dropout rate is calculated as 1/10 = 10%. This metric differs from Student Promotion Rate (PI4924), which captures students proceeding a higher grade of schooling during the reporting period.
This metric aligns with the UNESCO Institute for Statistics Indicator "Dropout Rate by Grade (PR)" (http://uis.unesco.org/sites/default/files/documents/education-indicators-technical-guidelines-en_0.pdf).
This metric is multi-dimensional with regard to the five dimensions of impact. In some contexts, this metric can serve as an indicator of whether the outcome being sought by an investor or organization is occurring (the WHAT dimension of impact). It may also help measure the HOW MUCH Scale dimension, which helps estimate the number of the targeted stakeholders experiencing the outcome. For more on the alignment of IRIS metrics to the five dimensions of impact, see IRIS+ and the Five Dimensions of Impact (https://iris.thegiin.org/document/iris-and-the-five-dimensions/). No single metric is sufficient to understand an impact; rather, metrics are selected as a set across all dimensions of impact. When possible, the selection of metrics to measure and describe the five dimensions should be based on best practice and evidence.
June 2022 - IRIS v5.3 Released (current version)
Immaterial change. Minor revisions to definition and usage guidance for clarity.
January 2020 - IRIS v5.1 Released
Immaterial change. Edited formula and usage guidance to clarify and link to underlying IRIS+ metrics.
May 2019 - IRIS v5.0 Released
No change.
March 2016 - IRIS v4.0 Released
No change.
March 2014 - IRIS v3.0 Released
New metric. Student Dropout Rate (PI9910) was developed via the IRIS Taxonomy Group.
IRIS Metrics Work Better in Sets
To use IRIS metrics—and the resulting data—to understand impact performance, IRIS metrics should be used and analyzed in generally accepted sets and according to well-defined objectives. IRIS+ gives you access to generally accepted Core Metrics Sets aligned to common Impact Themes and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).