A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

Students Staying in School, Studying More

Over the last 20 years, there has been a general decline in dropout rates and a general increase in high school completion rates. And during the 10 years since the publication of A Nation At Risk, graduating high school students have shown an increase in the number of total course units they have completed-and almost all of that increase has been in academic subjects.

Two new books from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) present these improvements. Dropout Rates in the United States: 1993 describes three types of dropout information for U.S. students. The Condition of Education, 1994 has 60 indicators looking at all phases of education. Both of these annual publications present information over time, as well as by a variety of characteristics.

Dropout Rates

Between the late 1970s and 1993, event dropout rates-the proportion of students who drop out during a given year-declined 33 percent, and the status dropout rates-the proportion of 16- through 24-year-olds who are not in school and have not completed high school, regardless of when they dropped out-declined 23 percent. Completion rates for 21- and 22-year-olds showed modest increases over the last two decades, with larger increases for blacks than whites, narrowing the difference between the two groups. And dropout rates were basically the same for black and white students at each income level in 1993.

Notwithstanding these gains, dropout rates remain high. In 1993, approximately 381,000 students ages 15 through 24 dropped out of high school. Over 3.4 million persons ages 16 through 24 had not completed high school and were not currently in school. Dropout and non-completion rates were particularly high for Hispanics and persons residing in poverty. The dropout rate for students who had repeated more than one grade was four times the rate for students who did not repeat any grades (40.9 versus 9.4 percent).

The most common reasons for dropping out were school related, rather than job or family concerns. Students who left school between 10th and 12th grades reported dropping out because they did not like school (43 percent) or they were failing (39 percent). Pregnancy was the most common family reason (27 percent for female dropouts) and 29 percent of the dropouts reported getting a job.

Condition of Education

For those students who stay in school through graduation, course taking has changed since the early '80s. More students are completing the recommended core courses in English, math, science, and social studies, and more are taking Advanced Placement courses. In 1982, only 13 percent of students were earning the credits recommended in A Nation At Risk. By 1992, 47 percent were earning them. And there are some trends, at least in mathematics and science, that students' scores are improving. Although reading and writing scores have not shown similar increases, U.S. students compared favorably in an international assessment of basic reading literacy.

More students are attending college right after high school. And college is beneficial, because having any college education increases a person's wages over having a high school diploma alone. Once they are working, Americans are continuing their education. One out of three full-time workers and one out of six part-time workers received training to improve job skills during a 12-month period in 1991-92.

To learn more about dropouts, order a copy of Dropout Rates in the United States: 1993 ($12 from GPO; #065-000-00684-7). For a broad look at education in the United States, order The Condition of Education, 1994 ($30 from GPO; #065-000-00667-7).

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