11 Facts about Dropping Out

1. Every year, 1.2 million students drop out of high school in the United States alone. That’s a student every 26 seconds – or 6,000 a day.
2. More than a quarter of high school freshmen fail to graduate from high school on time.
3. There are nearly 2,000 high schools in the U.S. where 40% of the typical freshman class leaves school by its senior year.
4. More than one in four Hispanic youth drop out, and nearly half leave by the eighth grade.
5. Hispanics are twice as likely as African Americans to drop out. White and Asian American students are least likely to drop out.
6. In the last 20 years, the earnings level of dropouts doubled, while it nearly tripled for college graduates.
7. Recent dropouts will earn $200,000 less than high school graduates, and over $800,000 less than college graduates, in their lives.
8. Dropouts make up nearly half the heads of households on welfare.
9. In the U.S., 65% of convicts are dropouts. Lack of education is one of the strongest predictors of criminal activity.
10. The dropout problem is likely to increase substantially through 2020 unless significant improvements are made.
11. America’s high school graduation rate ranks 19th in the world. (Forty years ago, we were number one.)

Sources:
Strong American Schools
Underlying Causes of High School Dropouts
Kid Source Online: New Information on Youth Who Drop Out
The Silent Epidemic