EDFacts Graduates and Dropouts, 2012-13 (EDFacts GD:2012-13) is one of 17 “topics" identified in the EDFacts documentation (in this database, each “topic" is entered as a separate study). EDFacts GD:2012-13 (ed.gov/about/inits/ed/edfacts) annually collects cross-sectional data from states about student who graduate or receive a certificate of completion from secondary education or students who dropped out of secondary education at the school, LEA, and state levels. EDFacts GD:2012-œ13 data were collected using the EDFacts Submission System (ESS), a centralized portal and their submission by states is mandatory and required for benefits. Not submitting the required reports by a state constitutes a failure to comply with law and may have consequences for federal funding to the state. Key statistics produced from EDFacts GD:2012-13 are from 6 data groups with information on Regulatory Cohort Graduation Rate (Four, Five, and Six Year)-Graduation Rate; Regulatory Cohort Graduation Rate (Four, Five, and Six Year)-Student Counts; Graduation Rate; Graduates/Completers; Regulatory Cohort Graduation Rate-Flex; and Regulatory Cohort Graduation Rate Student Counts-Flex. For the purposes of this system, data groups are referred to as 'variables', as a result of the structure and format of EDFacts' data.