What is a school dropout?

Dropping out is defined as leaving school without a high school diploma or equivalent credential such as a General Educational Development (GED) certificate as defined by the National Center for Education Statistics.

Who is dropping out?

The dropout rate in 2004 was recorded to be 4.7% across all regions in the US
(source: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2007/dropout/Table.asp?Table=1)

Dropout rates aren’t the same for all of us, but do affect all of us. Here’s a breakdown of a few samples:

Grade 10-12 Dropout Rates of Students Aged 15-24 Based on Ethnicity

(source: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2007/dropout/Table.asp?Table=1)

A simple breakdown of dropoute rates based on gender

(source: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2007/dropout/Table.asp?Table=1)