In general, the status dropout rates for Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics declined between 1980 and 2007. In 2007, foreign-born Hispanics dropped out at a higher rate than native-born Hispanics, while the opposite trend by nativity held for Whites and Blacks.

The status dropout rate represents the percentage of 16- through 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in school and have not earned a high school credential (either a diploma or equivalency credential, such as a General Educational Development [GED] certificate). In this indicator, status dropout rates are estimated using both the American Community Survey (ACS) and the Current Population Survey (CPS). The 2007 ACS allows for more detailed comparisons of status dropout rates by race/ethnicity, nativity, and sex than does the CPS. And unlike the CPS, the ACS includes persons living in military barracks in the United States and institutionalized persons. The CPS, however, provides several decades of historical trends on status dropouts that are not available from the ACS. For more information on these surveys, see supplemental notes 2 and 3.

In 2007, the status dropout rate of 16- through 24-year-olds was 9 percent (see table A-20-1). Differences in status dropout rates were found by sex and race/ethnicity. A higher percentage of males than females were status dropouts (11 vs. 8 percent). This pattern was evident across certain racial/ethnic groups, namely Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics.

The status dropout rate includes all 16- through 24-year-old dropouts, regardless of when they last attended school, as well as individuals without a high school credential who may never have attended school in the United States and who may never have earned a high school credential. Therefore, examining status dropout rates for the native-born population may provide a more accurate measure of those who have attended U.S. schools. In 2007, the status dropout rate was higher for native-born Hispanics than for native-born Asians, Pacific Islanders, and Whites. No measurable differences, however, were found between native-born Hispanics and native-born Blacks.

Overall, the status dropout rate for native-born 16- through 24-year-olds was lower than that for their foreign-born peers (8 vs. 21 percent). Native-born Hispanics, Asians, and Pacific Islanders had lower status dropout rates than their foreign-born counterparts, whereas native-born Whites and Blacks had higher status dropout rates than their foreign-born counterparts. Higher dropout rates among foreign-born Hispanics partially account for the high dropout rates for all Hispanic young adults. Among Hispanic 16- through 24-year-olds who were born outside the United States, the 2007 status dropout rate was 34 percent—higher than the rate for native-born Hispanics (11 percent).

The CPS allows for an examination of changes in status dropout rates over time. Based on the CPS, the status dropout rate declined from 14 percent in 1980 to 9 percent in 2007 (see table A-20-2). A decline was also seen between 2000 and 2007, the more recent years of this time span (from 11 percent to 9 percent).

Status dropout rates and changes in these rates over time differ by race/ethnicity. In general, the status dropout rates for Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics declined between 1980 and 2007. However, for each year during that period, the status dropout rate was lower for Whites and Blacks than for Hispanics. The rate for Asians/Pacific Islanders was also lower than those for Hispanics and Blacks between 1989 and 2007. Although the gaps between the rates of Blacks and Whites and Hispanics and Whites have decreased, the decreases occurred in different time periods. The Black-White gap narrowed during the 1980s, with no measurable change between 1990 and 2007. In contrast, the Hispanic-White gap narrowed between 1990 and 2007, with no measurable change in the gap during the 1980s.

Technical Notes

The United States refers to the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. For more information on race/ethnicity, see supplemental note 1. Estimates of the status dropout rate using the CPS include civilian, noninstitutionalized 16- through 24-year-olds. Young adults in the military or those who are incarcerated, for instance, are not included in this measure. However, the 2007 ACS includes noninstitutionalized and institutionalized group quarters. Therefore, due to this and other methodological differences between the CPS and ACS, status dropout estimates from the two surveys are not directly comparable. For more information on these surveys, see supplemental notes 2 and 3. The status dropout rate reported in this indicator is one of a number of rates measuring high school dropout and completion behavior in the United States. For more information about the status dropout rate reported here, see supplemental note 6.