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Numbers and Rates of Public High School Dropouts: School Year 2004–05
NCES 2008-305
December 2007


Table 7.  Dropout counts and dropout rates by locale, race/ethnicity, district size, and region: School year 2004–05
 
  Region1 
  Northeast    Midwest    South    West
  Number of dropouts, grades
9–12
Dropout rate, grades
9–12
  Number of dropouts, grades
9–12
Dropout rate, grades
9–12
  Number of dropouts, grades
9–12
Dropout rate, grades
9–12
  Number of dropouts, grades
9–12
Dropout rate, grades
9–12
Total  91,422 4.0 111,748 3.4 197,299 3.9 139,913 4.1
 
Locale2 
Large city  41,244 9.5 36,043 9.7 30,847 5.5 39,613 5.7
Midsize city  15,409 5.6 20,169 4.4 28,651 4.5 28,535 3.9
Urban fringe of a large city  16,964 2.0 21,961 2.2 48,086 3.2 42,657 3.6
Urban fringe of a midsize city  9,265 2.0 8,261 2.5 25,257 3.5 11,971 3.2
Large town  672 4.2 1,598 3.1 2,057 4.0 1,524 4.4
Small town  3,705 3.1 9,449 2.6 17,222 4.2 7,782 4.2
Rural, outside CBSA3  3,528 2.5 8,997 2.2 21,915 3.6 4,685 4.2
Rural, inside CBSA3  5,067 2.1 5,938 1.7 23,262 3.8 3,146 3.0
 
Race/ethnicity4 
American Indian/Alaska Native  464 6.3 2,343 8.6 2,111 4.2 6,606 7.9
Asian/Pacific Islander  4,143 3.8 2,167 2.8 2,197 1.7 7,204 2.2
Hispanic  25,691 8.1 13,327 7.2 39,656 5.2 57,830 5.4
Black, non-Hispanic  26,940 7.0 34,308 7.6 63,697 5.2 13,249 6.1
White, non-Hispanic  36,218 2.4 58,663 2.4 81,304 3.1 47,055 3.0
 
District size5 
50,000 or more  39,334 10.2 21,757 10.6 61,328 4.0 37,427 4.9
10,000–49,999  16,496 4.6 26,755 3.5 68,101 3.9 56,668 3.6
1,000–9,999  36,216 2.2 47,229 2.4 59,426 3.7 31,400 3.4
Less than 1,000  3,679 2.5 16,605 4.1 8,444 4.5 14,388 10.0
1 The 50 states and The District of Columbia are assigned to regions based on U.S. Census Bureau definitions. See Appendix B for the definition of each region.
2 Dropout rates and counts are for local education agencies (LEAs) that have been assigned a locale code. Counts may not sum to totals.
3 CBSA stands for Core Based Statistical Area.
4 Dropout rates and counts for students for whom race/ethnicity was reported. Counts may not sum to total.
5 Dropout rates and counts are of LEAs for which district membership was reported. Counts may not sum to total.
NOTE: A dropout is an individual who was enrolled in school at some time during the previous school year, but was not enrolled at the beginning of the current school year, has not graduated from high school or completed a state- or district-approved education program; and does not meet any of the following exclusionary conditions: transfer to another public school district, private school, or state- or district-approved education program; temporary absence due to suspension or school-approved illness; or death. The universe for this table includes the 50 states and the District of Columbia only.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "Common Core of Data State-Level Public School Dropout Data File," 2004–05, version 1a; "Local Education Agency Universe Survey Dropout and Completion File 2004–05," Version 0b; "Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey," 2004–05, Version 1b; "Local Education Agency Universe Survey 2004–05," Version 1b.