2007 KIDS COUNT Data Book Online >
Summary and Findings
Percent of Teens Who Are High School Dropouts
Graduating from high school is critical for obtaining post-secondary education and getting a good job. Teens who drop out of high school will find it difficult to achieve financial success in life. As America moves further into the 21st century, when advanced skills and tech- nical knowledge will be required for most good-paying jobs, the job prospects for those who have not completed high school will be even more dismal.
- Nationwide in 2005, there were about 1.1 million teens between the ages of 16 and 19 who were not in school and had not graduated from high school.
- The dropout rate in 2005 (7 percent) was 4 percentage points lower than the 11 percent rate in 2000.
- Between 2000 and 2005, the dropout rate fell in 41 states (and the District of Columbia), rose in 5 states, and was unchanged in 4 others. It should be noted that many of these changes were quite small and may not be statistically significant.
- In 2005, the high school dropout rate ranged from a low of 3 percent in Hawaii to a high of 11 percent in Nevada.
- American Indians and Alaskan Natives (13 percent) as well as Latinos (14 percent) have high school dropout rates that are more than twice as high as that for non-Hispanic white teens (6 percent).
