11 Facts About Dropping Out
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- More than 1.3 million students drop out of high school every year in the US.^[PBS. "Who Isn’t Graduating From High School?." PBS. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/education/dropout-nation/who-isnt-graduating-from-high-school/ (accessed July 22, 2014).]
- More than 20% of dropouts are foreign born. Another 17% are Hispanic students.^["High School Dropout Statistics." Statistic Brain RSS. http://www.statisticbrain.com/high-school-dropout-statistics/ (accessed July 21, 2014).]
- A high-school dropout is ineligible for 90% of jobs in America.^["High School Dropout Statistics." Statistic Brain RSS. http://www.statisticbrain.com/high-school-dropout-statistics/ (accessed July 21, 2014).]
- Kids who don't read proficiently by 4th grade are 4 times likelier to drop out of school. Reading books (for pleasure, not school) improves literacy rates and prevents dropouts. Start a banned book club with your friends to improve reading and literacy skills and, you know, because it’s badass. Sign up for Banned Books Club.^[Cullinan, Bernice E. "Independent Reading and School Achievement", American Association of School Librarians. Accessed February 2014. .]
- 16- to 24-year-old boys made up nearly 60% of dropouts in 2010. That’s more than 1.8 million students.^["Fast Facts." National Center for Education Statistics. http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372 (accessed July 22, 2014).]
- In 2009, the Northeast had a lower status dropout rate (7.1%) than the South and the West (8.4% and 8.6%, respectively)^["Fast Facts." National Center for Education Statistics. http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372 (accessed July 22, 2014).]
- After World War II, the United States had the #1 high school graduation rate in the world. Today, we have dropped to #22 among 27 industrialized nations.^["The Broad Foundation - Education." The Broad Foundation - Education. http://www.broadeducation.org/about/crisis_stats.html (accessed July 22, 2014).]
- The percentage of students enrolling in college in the fall immediately following high school completion was 68.2% in 2011. Females enrolled at a higher rate (72.2%) than males (64.7%).^[Hanson, Jack. "Why Children are Left Behind." Bloomington: AuthorHouse, 2014. Print.]
- Roughly 80% of white and Asian students complete high school, compared to 55% African-American and Hispanic students.^["Higher Education: Gaps in Access and Persistence Study." National Center for Education Statistics. http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2012/2012046.pdf (accessed July 22, 2014).]
- A high-school graduate’s lifetime income is 50 to 100% higher than a non-graduate’s.^[The New York Times. "The True Cost Of High School Dropouts." The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/opinion/the-true-cost-of-high-school-dropouts.html (accessed July 22, 2014)]
- In 2012, only 21 states in the US required students to attend high school until they are 18 or earn a diploma.^[The New York Times. "The True Cost Of High School Dropouts." The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/opinion/the-true-cost-of-high-school-dropouts.html (accessed July 22, 2014).]
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