In 2014-15, the high school graduation rate reached a record high of 83 percent (U.S. Department of Education 2016). Despite the gains, over half a million students still drop out of high school each year (U.S. Department of Education 2015). High schools have adopted various strategies designed to keep students who are at risk of not graduating in school and on track for earning the credits required to graduate. The U.S. Department of Education (Department) sponsored the "National Survey on High School Strategies Designed to Help At-Risk Students Graduate (HSS)", which aimed to provide descriptive information on the prevalence and characteristics of dropout prevention strategies for at-risk students. The survey collected data in the 2014-15 school year from a nationally representative sample of 2,142 public high schools and focused on 13 specific high school improvement strategies identified by a panel of external experts and senior Department officials. This brief on "competency-based advancement" is the fourth in a series of briefs being released this year with key findings about these high school improvement strategies.