In today's economy, graduating from high school is more important than ever. The economic consequences of dropping out of high school are more severe than in the past, with diminished job prospects and life-time earnings (Rouse, 2007). There are also substantial social costs associated with high school dropouts such as lower productivity and tax revenues. At the same time, the path to on-time graduation has arguably become more difficult, with higher academic expectations and stricter requirements. While the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) has been fairly successful compared to other large school districts in graduating four-fifths of its high school students, there is still a lot of room for improvement, particularly for its more vulnerable students. In addition to presenting detailed statistics on high school graduation rates in 2012-13, this report also seeks to highlight the demographic and academic characteristics of students who did not graduate. Suggestions for improving high school graduation rates are also discussed.