---
title: "Retention rate"
description: "Retention rate is the share of a starting group of students who are still enrolled at a stated later date, shown as a percentage. Divide the starting students who are still enrolled by the starting students, then multiply by 100. New joiners are excluded, and the dates and scope, one batch or the whole academy, should be named."
canonical: "https://chesscore.io/glossary/retention-rate"
author: "Abhishek Tiwari"
datePublished: "2026-07-20"
dateModified: "2026-10-16"
---

Written by Abhishek Tiwari. Drafted with AI, fact-checked and approved by a human before publishing. Editorial standards: https://chesscore.io/editorial

## Retention rate

Retention rate is the share of a starting group of students who are still enrolled at a stated later date, shown as a percentage. Divide the starting students who are still enrolled by the starting students, then multiply by 100. New joiners are excluded, and the dates and scope, one batch or the whole academy, should be named.

## Context

Retention rate needs three things stated before anyone calculates it: the starting roster and its date, the later checkpoint date, and the scope, which is one batch, one coach or the whole academy. Keep four fields: the starting roster, the continuing cohort (students from that roster still enrolled), new joiners, who are excluded, and transfers. A transfer between batches lowers one batch's figure without losing a student academy-wide, so say which scope you report. Decide in advance how a paused student counts, for example as continuing during an agreed pause and as departed once the pause passes its end date, and apply the same rule to every batch. Owners read the rate alongside the enrollment funnel, since a strong intake with weak retention still shrinks the academy, and alongside the parent update thread, which can show a drifting family before the figure moves. Retention rate is a lagging count: it confirms that something changed last term and does not say why. For the churn drivers behind a falling rate, and what to say to a drifting family, read the linked guide below.

## Read next

- [The full guide](https://chesscore.io/blog/why-students-quit-chess-academies)

## Related terms

- https://chesscore.io/glossary/enrollment-funnel
- https://chesscore.io/glossary/demo-class
- https://chesscore.io/glossary/parent-update