Census figures rank Missouri fourth in the country in high school graduation rates. But completion rates and graduation rates don’t match. Census figures say almost 93 percent of Missourians finish high school. But state Education Department figurres say the high school dropout rate put the graduation rate at about 82 percent. The difference is the G.E.D. – the high school equivalency certificate. People with it are considered by the Census Bureau as having finished high school. The Education Department calculates graduation rates based on four years of high school classes.