Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States: 2007

NCES 2009-064 September 2009

Table 9. Status completion rates, and number and distribution of completers ages 18–24 not currently enrolled in high school or below, by selected characteristics: October 2007

Characteristic	Completion rate (percent)	Number of completers (thousands)	Population (thousands)	Percent of all completers	Percent of population
Total	89.0	24,100	27,086	100.0	100.0
Sex
Male	87.4	11,802	13,509	49.0	49.9
Female	90.6	12,298	13,577	51.0	50.1
Race/ethnicity1
White, non-Hispanic	93.5	15,696	16,794	65.1	62.0
Black, non-Hispanic	88.8	3,307	3,722	13.7	13.7
Hispanic	72.7	3,487	4,797	14.5	17.7
"Asian/Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic"	93.1	1,058	1,136	4.4	4.2
Age
18–19	89.8	6,153	6,850	25.5	25.3
20–21	89.5	7,127	7,963	29.6	29.4
22–24	88.2	10,820	12,273	44.9	45.3
Recency of immigration
"Born outside the 50 states and District of Columbia"
Hispanic	56.1	1,177	2,096	4.9	7.7
Non-Hispanic	89.9	1,430	1,591	5.9	5.9
First generation2
Hispanic	85.9	1,257	1,462	5.2	5.4
Non-Hispanic	96.8	1,501	1,551	6.2	5.7
Second generation or higher2
Hispanic	85.1	1,053	1,238	4.4	4.6
Non-Hispanic	92.3	17,682	19,147	73.4	70.7
Region
Northeast	92.1	4,433	4,811	18.4	17.8
Midwest	91.4	5,535	6,059	23.0	22.4
South	87.2	8,618	9,885	35.8	36.5
West	87.1	5,514	6,331	22.9	23.4
1 Respondents were able to identify themselves as being “two or more races.” The White (non-Hispanic), Black (non-Hispanic), and Asian/Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic) categories consist of individuals who considered themselves to be one race and who did not identify as Hispanic. Non-Hispanics who identified themselves as multiracial are included in the “two or more races” category. The Hispanic category consists of Hispanics of all races and racial combinations. Due to small sample size, American Indians/Alaska Natives and those who identified themselves as being two or more races, but not Hispanic are included in the total but are not shown separately. 2 Individuals defined as “first generation” were born in the 50 states or the District of Columbia, and one or both of their parents were born outside the 50 states or the District of Columbia. Individuals defined as “second generation or higher” were born in the 50 states or the District of Columbia, as were both of their parents. National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC. NOTE: Status completion rates measure the percentage of 18- through 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in high school and who also hold a high school diploma or equivalent credential, such as a General Educational Development (GED) certificate. Those still enrolled in high school are excluded from the analysis. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), October 2007.