Table 219.62c.

Among 2009 ninth-graders who were dropouts in 2012, percentage citing various reasons for leaving high school, by selected student characteristics: 2012

[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
Selected student characteristic	Got behind in school work or got poor grades			Thought it would be easier to get a GED1 or alternative high school credential			Did not like school			Had to take care of or financially support my family			Was suspended or expelled			Could not work and go to school at the same time			Did not need to complete high school for what I wanted to do			Wanted to gain early admission to school that provides occupational training or a college			My friends had dropped out of school
1	2			3			4			5			6			7			8			9			10
Total	73.6		(3.18)	61.7		(4.39)	49.4		(4.65)	26.2		(3.71)	19.1		(2.96)	17.5		(3.29)	16.4		(2.72)	15.7		(2.96)	14.4		(2.83)
Sex
Male	75.6		(3.99)	66.3		(5.00)	51.4		(5.42)	26.2		(3.72)	26.4		(4.33)	25.9		(4.88)	21.6		(3.64)	21.3		(4.21)	18.6		(4.00)
Female	71.5		(5.59)	56.8		(8.02)	47.3		(7.57)	26.2		(5.15)	11.1		(3.12)	8.4	!	(2.94)	10.8	!	(3.49)	9.7	!	(2.93)	9.9	!	(3.01)
Race/ethnicity
White	70.3		(4.22)	67.6		(4.63)	61.6		(4.38)	24.8		(3.98)	18.0		(3.21)	18.8		(3.85)	19.2		(3.12)	14.3		(2.98)	14.8		(3.48)
Black	71.5		(6.80)	66.3		(8.28)	30.3		(8.18)	18.2	!	(6.66)	29.8	!	(10.35)	‡		(†)	21.4	!	(7.55)	21.6	!	(7.23)	‡		(†)
Hispanic	82.7		(5.88)	47.9		(12.92)	47.2		(10.96)	31.9	!	(11.03)	10.2	!	(4.55)	20.0	!	(9.29)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)
Asian	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)
Other	65.5		(9.85)	70.1		(9.36)	49.2		(11.38)	33.8		(9.64)	27.8	!	(10.02)	12.3	!	(5.84)	19.1	!	(8.17)	20.8	!	(9.29)	16.9	!	(8.22)
Family's socioeconomic status in 20092
Lowest quintile	74.4		(5.17)	65.7		(6.51)	43.4		(6.36)	28.9		(5.44)	29.1		(5.43)	20.8		(5.35)	19.6		(5.08)	20.4		(5.52)	21.2		(5.07)
Middle quintile	71.7		(4.65)	57.3		(6.00)	50.4		(5.86)	24.1		(4.64)	13.3		(2.99)	14.3		(3.22)	13.9		(3.35)	14.1		(3.75)	10.9	!	(3.55)
Highest quintile	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)
Language student first learned to speak
English	73.4		(3.47)	62.1		(4.68)	47.3		(4.99)	25.7		(4.09)	18.9		(3.41)	18.1		(3.66)	17.4		(3.00)	15.5		(3.19)	14.1		(3.28)
Not English or English and another        language equally	74.6		(9.04)	59.2		(9.06)	63.9		(8.40)	30.0		(8.07)	20.7	!	(7.78)	13.2	!	(5.53)	9.7	!	(4.56)	17.0	!	(7.16)	16.6	!	(6.61)

†Not applicable.

!Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation 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.

1 A high school equivalency certificate awarded upon successful completion of the GED test, which is developed and distributed by the GED Testing Service.

2 Socioeconomic status (SES) was measured by a composite score on parental education and occupations, and family income.

NOTE: Both the base year of the study (conducted in fall 2009, when the students were in the 9th grade) and the first follow-up (conducted in spring 2012, when most of the students were in the 11th grade) consisted of a mathematics assessment and a questionnaire-format interview. Current dropouts are students who were not enrolled in school and had not completed high school or an alternative program as of the 2012 interview. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Students may select more than one reason for dropping out.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09) First Follow-up Public-Use Data File (NCES 2014-358); and High School Dropouts and Stopouts: Demographic Backgrounds, Academic Experiences, Engagement, and School Characteristics (NCES 2015-064). (This table was prepared July 2016.)