11 Facts About Dropping Out

Welcome to DoSomething.org, a global movement of millions of young people making positive change, online and off! The 11 facts you want are below, and the sources for the facts are at the very bottom of the page. After you learn something, Do Something! Find out how to take action here.

1. 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).]
2. 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).]
3. 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).]
4. 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. .]
5. 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).]
6. 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).]
7. 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).]
8. 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.]
9. 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).]
10. 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)]
11. 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).]