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Preprimary, Elementary, and Secondary Education

Status Dropout Rates

Last Updated: May 2022
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The overall status dropout rate decreased from 7.4 percent in 2010 to 5.3 percent in 2020. During this time, the Hispanic status dropout rate decreased from 15.1 to 7.4 percent and the Black status dropout rate decreased from 8.0 to 4.2 percent.

The status dropout rate represents the percentage of 16- to 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in high school and who lack a high school credential (either a diploma or an alternative credential such as a GED certificate). In 2020, there were 2.0 million status dropouts between the ages of 16 and 24, and the overall status dropout rate was 5.3 percent. In this indicator, status dropout rates are estimated using the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a household survey that covers the civilian noninstitutionalized population, which excludes persons in the military and persons living in institutions (e.g., prisons or nursing facilities).

Select a subgroup characteristic from the drop-down menu below to view relevant text and figures.

All available findings Age group Disability Nativity/Immigrant/Nonresident alien Race/ethnicity Sex Time series
Figure 1. Status dropout rates of 16- to 24-year-olds, by race/ethnicity: 2010 and 2020
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A confidence interval is a range of values that describes the uncertainty surrounding an estimate. Throughout the Condition of Education, confidence intervals are calculated as the estimate +/- the margin of error, based on a 95 percent level of confidence. This means that there is 95 percent certainty that the range includes the true or actual value of the statistic.
Confidence Interval
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† Not applicable.

! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.

‡ Reporting standards not met. Either there are too few cases for a reliable estimate or the coefficient of variation (CV) is 50 percent or greater.

NOTE: To estimate the margin of error, the standard error is scaled based on the desired level of confidence in the estimate. Throughout the Condition of Education, margins of error are produced based on a 95 percent level of confidence. Margin of error is calculated as 1.96*standard error. The status dropout rate is the percentage of 16- to 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in high school and who lack a high school credential (either a diploma or an alternative credential such as a GED certificate). Data are based on sample surveys of the civilian noninstitutionalized population, which excludes persons in the military and persons living in institutions (e.g., prisons or nursing facilities). Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded data.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), October, 2010 and 2020. See Digest of Education Statistics 2021, table 219.73.

The status dropout rate varied by race/ethnicity in 2020. The status dropout rate for Asian 16- to 24-year-olds (2.4 percent) was lower than the rates for Black (4.2 percent) and White (4.8 percent) 16- to 24-year-olds, and all three rates were lower than the rate for those who were Hispanic (7.4 percent). The status dropout rate for Asian 16- to 24-year-olds was also lower than the rates for those who were of Two or more races (6.5 percent) and American Indian/Alaska Native (11.5 percent), and the rate for those who were Black was lower than the rate for those who were American Indian/Alaska Native.1 [Race/ethnicity ]
The overall status dropout rate for 16- to 24-year-olds decreased from 7.4 percent in 2010 to 5.3 percent in 2020. During this time, the status dropout rate declined for those who were Hispanic (from 15.1 to 7.4 percent) and Black (from 8.0 to 4.2 percent). In 2020, the status dropout rates for those who were American Indian/Alaska Native, of Two or more races, White, or Asian were not measurably different from the rates in 2010.2 The status dropout rates in 2019—the year prior to the coronavirus pandemic—did not measurably differ from the rates in 2020 for any racial/ethnic group.3 [Time series ] [Race/ethnicity ]
In each year from 2010 to 2020, the status dropout rate for Hispanic 16- to 24-year-olds was higher than the rates for those who were Black or White. The status dropout rate for those who were Black was also higher than the rate for those who were White in each year from 2010 to 2015. However, the decline in the status dropout rate for those who were Black between 2010 and 2020 led to a reduction in the gap between status dropout rates for Black and White 16- to 24-year-olds. The rates were not measurably different between those who were Black and those who were White in each year from 2016 to 2020. Between 2010 and 2020, the gap in status dropout rates between those who were Hispanic and those who were White decreased from 10.1 to 2.6 percentage points. During the same period, the gap between those who were Hispanic and those who were Black decreased from 7.1 to 3.2 percentage points. [Time series ] [Race/ethnicity ]
Figure 2. Status dropout rates of 16- to 24-year-olds, by race/ethnicity and sex: 2020
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Users can select any combination of available years and categories in any figure format (i.e., bar or table). The initial selection of years and categories may not be optimal in different views.
Bar | Table
A confidence interval is a range of values that describes the uncertainty surrounding an estimate. Throughout the Condition of Education, confidence intervals are calculated as the estimate +/- the margin of error, based on a 95 percent level of confidence. This means that there is 95 percent certainty that the range includes the true or actual value of the statistic.
Confidence Interval
Bar | Table
Users can select years at irregular intervals. However, as a result, the distance between the data points will not be proportional to the number of years between them.
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† Not applicable.

! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.

‡ Reporting standards not met. Either there are too few cases for a reliable estimate or the coefficient of variation (CV) is 50 percent or greater.

NOTE: To estimate the margin of error, the standard error is scaled based on the desired level of confidence in the estimate. Throughout the Condition of Education, margins of error are produced based on a 95 percent level of confidence. Margin of error is calculated as 1.96*standard error. The status dropout rate is the percentage of 16- to 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in high school and who lack a high school credential (either a diploma or an alternative credential such as a GED certificate). Data are based on sample surveys of the civilian noninstitutionalized population, which excludes persons in the military and persons living in institutions (e.g., prisons or nursing facilities). Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), October 2020. See Digest of Education Statistics 2021, table 219.73.

In 2020, the overall status dropout rate was higher for male 16- to 24-year-olds than for female 16- to 24-year-olds (6.2 vs. 4.4 percent). Status dropout rates were higher for males than for females among those who were Hispanic (8.9 vs. 5.9 percent) and Black (5.6 vs. 2.9 percent). However, the status dropout rates for males and females did not measurably differ for those who were of Two or more races, White, or Asian.4 [Race/ethnicity ] [Sex]
Figure 3. Status dropout rates of 16- to 24-year-olds, by age: 2010 and 2020
Hover, click, and tap to see more for all figures on this page.
Users can select any combination of available years and categories in any figure format (i.e., bar or table). The initial selection of years and categories may not be optimal in different views.
Bar | Table
A confidence interval is a range of values that describes the uncertainty surrounding an estimate. Throughout the Condition of Education, confidence intervals are calculated as the estimate +/- the margin of error, based on a 95 percent level of confidence. This means that there is 95 percent certainty that the range includes the true or actual value of the statistic.
Confidence Interval
Bar | Table
Users can select years at irregular intervals. However, as a result, the distance between the data points will not be proportional to the number of years between them.
X
Embed this figure

NOTE: To estimate the margin of error, the standard error is scaled based on the desired level of confidence in the estimate. Throughout the Condition of Education, margins of error are produced based on a 95 percent level of confidence. Margin of error is calculated as 1.96*standard error. The status dropout rate is the percentage of 16- to 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in high school and who lack a high school credential (either a diploma or an alternative credential such as a GED certificate). Data are based on sample surveys of the civilian noninstitutionalized population, which excludes persons in the military and persons living in institutions (e.g., prisons or nursing facilities).

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), October, 2010 and 2020. See Digest of Education Statistics 2021, table 219.73.

The overall status dropout rate did not measurably differ by age for 16- to 24-year-olds in 2020. However, the status dropout rates by age in 2020 differed from the corresponding rates in 2010. The status dropout rate was higher in 2020 than in 2010 for 16-year-olds (5.6 vs. 2.0 percent) and 17-year-olds (5.8 vs. 3.5 percent). In contrast, the status dropout rate was lower in 2020 than in 2010 for 19-year-olds (5.2 vs. 7.9 percent) and 20- to 24-year-olds (5.1 vs. 9.3 percent). The status dropout rate for 18-year-olds did not differ measurably between 2020 and 2010. [Time series ] [Age group]
Figure 4. Status dropout rates of Hispanic and non-Hispanic 16- to 24-year-olds, by recency of immigration: 2020
Hover, click, and tap to see more for all figures on this page.
Users can select any combination of available years and categories in any figure format (i.e., bar or table). The initial selection of years and categories may not be optimal in different views.
Bar | Table
A confidence interval is a range of values that describes the uncertainty surrounding an estimate. Throughout the Condition of Education, confidence intervals are calculated as the estimate +/- the margin of error, based on a 95 percent level of confidence. This means that there is 95 percent certainty that the range includes the true or actual value of the statistic.
Confidence Interval
Bar | Table
Users can select years at irregular intervals. However, as a result, the distance between the data points will not be proportional to the number of years between them.
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Embed this figure

1 United States refers to the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Marianas. Children born abroad to U.S.-citizen parents are counted as born in the United States.

2 Individuals defined as “first generation” were born in the United States, but one or both of their parents were born outside the United States.

3 Individuals defined as “second generation or higher” were born in the United States, as were both of their parents.

NOTE: To estimate the margin of error, the standard error is scaled based on the desired level of confidence in the estimate. Throughout the Condition of Education, margins of error are produced based on a 95 percent level of confidence. Margin of error is calculated as 1.96*standard error. The status dropout rate is the percentage of 16- to 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in high school and who lack a high school credential (either a diploma or an alternative credential such as a GED certificate). Data are based on sample surveys of the civilian noninstitutionalized population, which excludes persons in the military and persons living in institutions (e.g., prisons or nursing facilities). Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded data.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), October 2020. See Digest of Education Statistics 2021, table 219.73.

Overall in 2020, 16- to 24-year-olds who had been born outside the United States had a higher status dropout rate (10.1 percent) than those who were first generation (4.4 percent) and those who were second generation or higher (5.0 percent).5 This pattern held among those who were Hispanic: the status dropout rate was higher for those who had been born outside the United States (15.8 percent) than for those who were first generation (6.1 percent) and those who were second generation or higher (5.0 percent). In contrast, among those who were not Hispanic, the status dropout rate was higher for both those who had been born outside the United States (4.4 percent) and those who were second generation or higher (5.0 percent) than for those who were first generation (2.2 percent). Among those born outside the United States and those who were first generation, status dropout rates were higher for those who were Hispanic than for their non-Hispanic peers. However, the status dropout rate did not measurably differ by Hispanic ethnicity for those who were second generation or higher. [Race/ethnicity ] [Nativity/Immigrant/Nonresident alien]
The status dropout rate also differed by disability status6 in 2020. The status dropout rate was 5.1 percent for 16- to 24-year-olds without a disability, compared with 9.7 percent for those with a disability. [Disability]

1 The status dropout rate for Pacific Islander 16- to 24-year-olds did not meet reporting standards in 2020.

2 The status dropout rate for Pacific Islander 16- to 24-year-olds did not meet reporting standards in 2010 and 2020.

3 The status dropout rate for Pacific Islander 16- to 24-year-olds did not meet reporting standards in 2019 and 2020.

4 The status dropout rates for male and female Pacific Islander 16- to 24-year-olds and female American Indian/Alaska Native 16- to 24-year-olds did not meet reporting standards in 2020.

5 United States refers to the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Marianas. Children born abroad to U.S.-citizen parents are counted as born in the United States. Individuals defined as “first generation” were born in the United States, but one or both of their parents were born outside the United States. Individuals defined as “second generation or higher” were born in the United States, as were both of their parents.

6 Individuals identified as having a disability reported difficulty in at least one of the following: hearing; seeing even when wearing glasses; walking or climbing stairs; dressing or bathing; doing errands alone; concentrating; remembering; or making decisions.

Supplemental Information

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Table 219.70 (Digest 2021): Percentage of high school dropouts among persons 16 to 24 years old (status dropout rate), by sex and race/ethnicity: Selected years, 1960 through 2020;
Table 219.73 (Digest 2021): Percentage of high school dropouts among persons 16 to 24 years old (status dropout rate) and number and percentage distribution of 16- to 24-year-olds, by selected characteristics: Selected years, 2010 through 2020
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Gap High school diploma Household Racial/ethnic group Status dropout rate (Current Population Survey)
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Status Dropout Rates – May 2021
Status Dropout Rates – May 2020
Status Dropout Rates – May 2019
Status Dropout Rates – May 2018
Status Dropout Rates – May 2017
Status Dropout Rates – May 2016
Status Dropout Rates – May 2015
Status Dropout Rates – January 2014
Status Dropout Rates – January 2013
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Suggested Citation

National Center for Education Statistics. (2022). Status Dropout Rates. Condition of Education. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved [date], from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/coj.
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