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Digest of Education Statistics
2017 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 219.70. Percentage of high school dropouts among persons 16 to 24 years old (status dropout rate), by sex and race/ethnicity: Selected years, 1960 through 2016
[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
Year Total status dropout rate Male status dropout rate Female status dropout rate
All races1 White Black Hispanic All races1 White Black Hispanic All races1 White Black Hispanic
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
19602 27.2 (—) (†) (†) (†) 27.8 (—) (†) (†) (†) 26.7 (—) (†) (†) (†)
19673 17.0 (—) 15.4 (—) 28.6 (—) (†) 16.5 (—) 14.7 (—) 30.6 (—) (†) 17.3 (—) 16.1 (—) 26.9 (—) (†)
19683 16.2 (—) 14.7 (—) 27.4 (—) (†) 15.8 (—) 14.4 (—) 27.1 (—) (†) 16.5 (—) 15.0 (—) 27.6 (—) (†)
19693 15.2 (—) 13.6 (—) 26.7 (—) (†) 14.3 (—) 12.6 (—) 26.9 (—) (†) 16.0 (—) 14.6 (—) 26.7 (—) (†)
                                                 
19703 15.0 (0.30) 13.2 (0.30) 27.9 (1.25) (†) 14.2 (0.42) 12.2 (0.43) 29.4 (1.87) (†) 15.7 (0.42) 14.1 (0.43) 26.6 (1.69) (†)
19713 14.7 (0.29) 13.4 (0.30) 24.0 (1.17) (†) 14.2 (0.41) 12.6 (0.42) 25.5 (1.74) (†) 15.2 (0.41) 14.2 (0.42) 22.6 (1.58) (†)
1972 14.6 (0.28) 12.3 (0.29) 21.3 (1.09) 34.3 (2.93) 14.1 (0.40) 11.6 (0.41) 22.3 (1.63) 33.7 (4.26) 15.1 (0.40) 12.8 (0.42) 20.5 (1.48) 34.8 (4.03)
1973 14.1 (0.28) 11.6 (0.28) 22.2 (1.09) 33.5 (2.96) 13.7 (0.39) 11.5 (0.40) 21.5 (1.57) 30.4 (4.17) 14.5 (0.39) 11.8 (0.40) 22.8 (1.51) 36.4 (4.18)
1974 14.3 (0.28) 11.9 (0.28) 21.2 (1.07) 33.0 (2.74) 14.2 (0.39) 12.0 (0.41) 20.1 (1.55) 33.8 (3.94) 14.3 (0.39) 11.8 (0.40) 22.1 (1.49) 32.2 (3.82)
                                                 
1975 13.9 (0.27) 11.4 (0.28) 22.9 (1.08) 29.2 (2.67) 13.3 (0.38) 11.0 (0.39) 23.0 (1.60) 26.7 (3.75) 14.5 (0.38) 11.8 (0.39) 22.9 (1.48) 31.6 (3.78)
1976 14.1 (0.27) 12.0 (0.28) 20.5 (1.03) 31.4 (2.66) 14.1 (0.39) 12.1 (0.40) 21.2 (1.53) 30.3 (3.88) 14.2 (0.38) 11.8 (0.39) 19.9 (1.39) 32.3 (3.64)
1977 14.1 (0.27) 11.9 (0.28) 19.8 (1.00) 33.0 (2.65) 14.5 (0.39) 12.6 (0.41) 19.5 (1.47) 31.6 (3.79) 13.8 (0.37) 11.2 (0.38) 20.0 (1.38) 34.3 (3.71)
1978 14.2 (0.27) 11.9 (0.28) 20.2 (1.01) 33.3 (2.62) 14.6 (0.39) 12.2 (0.40) 22.5 (1.54) 33.6 (3.77) 13.9 (0.37) 11.6 (0.39) 18.3 (1.32) 33.1 (3.65)
1979 14.6 (0.27) 12.0 (0.28) 21.1 (1.02) 33.8 (2.60) 15.0 (0.39) 12.6 (0.40) 22.4 (1.53) 33.0 (3.71) 14.2 (0.37) 11.5 (0.39) 20.0 (1.36) 34.5 (3.63)
                                                 
1980 14.1 (0.27) 11.4 (0.27) 19.1 (0.98) 35.2 (2.47) 15.1 (0.39) 12.3 (0.40) 20.8 (1.48) 37.2 (3.57) 13.1 (0.36) 10.5 (0.37) 17.7 (1.29) 33.2 (3.42)
1981 13.9 (0.26) 11.3 (0.27) 18.4 (0.94) 33.2 (2.36) 15.1 (0.39) 12.5 (0.40) 19.9 (1.41) 36.0 (3.42) 12.8 (0.35) 10.2 (0.37) 17.1 (1.25) 30.4 (3.25)
1982 13.9 (0.28) 11.4 (0.29) 18.4 (0.99) 31.7 (2.51) 14.5 (0.40) 12.0 (0.43) 21.2 (1.52) 30.5 (3.57) 13.3 (0.38) 10.8 (0.40) 15.9 (1.28) 32.8 (3.53)
1983 13.7 (0.28) 11.1 (0.29) 18.0 (0.98) 31.6 (2.51) 14.9 (0.41) 12.2 (0.43) 19.9 (1.48) 34.3 (3.71) 12.5 (0.38) 10.1 (0.40) 16.2 (1.30) 29.1 (3.41)
1984 13.1 (0.28) 11.0 (0.29) 15.5 (0.93) 29.8 (2.49) 14.0 (0.41) 11.9 (0.43) 16.8 (1.39) 30.6 (3.62) 12.3 (0.38) 10.1 (0.40) 14.3 (1.24) 29.0 (3.42)
                                                 
1985 12.6 (0.28) 10.4 (0.29) 15.2 (0.93) 27.6 (1.93) 13.4 (0.40) 11.1 (0.43) 16.1 (1.39) 29.9 (2.77) 11.8 (0.37) 9.8 (0.40) 14.3 (1.25) 25.2 (2.68)
1986 12.2 (0.27) 9.7 (0.29) 14.2 (0.91) 30.1 (1.88) 13.1 (0.40) 10.3 (0.42) 15.0 (1.36) 32.8 (2.67) 11.4 (0.37) 9.1 (0.39) 13.5 (1.23) 27.2 (2.64)
1987 12.6 (0.28) 10.4 (0.30) 14.1 (0.92) 28.6 (1.85) 13.2 (0.41) 10.8 (0.43) 15.0 (1.37) 29.1 (2.58) 12.1 (0.39) 10.0 (0.41) 13.3 (1.23) 28.1 (2.65)
1988 12.9 (0.31) 9.6 (0.32) 14.5 (1.01) 35.8 (2.17) 13.5 (0.45) 10.3 (0.47) 15.0 (1.50) 36.0 (3.02) 12.2 (0.42) 8.9 (0.43) 14.0 (1.38) 35.4 (3.13)
1989 12.6 (0.30) 9.4 (0.31) 13.9 (0.94) 33.0 (1.92) 13.6 (0.43) 10.3 (0.45) 14.9 (1.41) 34.4 (2.70) 11.7 (0.40) 8.5 (0.41) 13.0 (1.27) 31.6 (2.73)
                                                 
1990 12.1 (0.29) 9.0 (0.30) 13.2 (0.94) 32.4 (1.91) 12.3 (0.42) 9.3 (0.44) 11.9 (1.30) 34.3 (2.71) 11.8 (0.41) 8.7 (0.42) 14.4 (1.34) 30.3 (2.70)
1991 12.5 (0.30) 8.9 (0.31) 13.6 (0.95) 35.3 (1.93) 13.0 (0.43) 8.9 (0.44) 13.5 (1.37) 39.2 (2.74) 11.9 (0.41) 8.9 (0.43) 13.7 (1.31) 31.1 (2.70)
19924 11.0 (0.28) 7.7 (0.29) 13.7 (0.95) 29.4 (1.86) 11.3 (0.41) 8.0 (0.42) 12.5 (1.31) 32.1 (2.67) 10.7 (0.39) 7.4 (0.40) 14.8 (1.35) 26.6 (2.56)
19934 11.0 (0.28) 7.9 (0.29) 13.6 (0.94) 27.5 (1.79) 11.2 (0.40) 8.2 (0.42) 12.6 (1.32) 28.1 (2.54) 10.9 (0.40) 7.6 (0.41) 14.4 (1.34) 26.9 (2.51)
19944 11.4 (0.28) 7.7 (0.29) 12.6 (0.89) 30.0 (1.66) 12.3 (0.41) 8.0 (0.41) 14.1 (1.34) 31.6 (2.30) 10.6 (0.38) 7.5 (0.40) 11.3 (1.17) 28.1 (2.38)
                                                 
19954 12.0 (0.27) 8.6 (0.28) 12.1 (0.75) 30.0 (1.15) 12.2 (0.38) 9.0 (0.40) 11.1 (1.05) 30.0 (1.59) 11.7 (0.37) 8.2 (0.39) 12.9 (1.06) 30.0 (1.66)
19964 11.1 (0.27) 7.3 (0.27) 13.0 (0.80) 29.4 (1.19) 11.4 (0.38) 7.3 (0.38) 13.5 (1.18) 30.3 (1.67) 10.9 (0.38) 7.3 (0.39) 12.5 (1.08) 28.3 (1.69)
19974 11.0 (0.27) 7.6 (0.28) 13.4 (0.80) 25.3 (1.11) 11.9 (0.39) 8.5 (0.41) 13.3 (1.16) 27.0 (1.55) 10.1 (0.36) 6.7 (0.37) 13.5 (1.11) 23.4 (1.59)
19984 11.8 (0.27) 7.7 (0.28) 13.8 (0.81) 29.5 (1.12) 13.3 (0.40) 8.6 (0.41) 15.5 (1.23) 33.5 (1.59) 10.3 (0.36) 6.9 (0.37) 12.2 (1.05) 25.0 (1.56)
19994 11.2 (0.26) 7.3 (0.27) 12.6 (0.77) 28.6 (1.11) 11.9 (0.38) 7.7 (0.39) 12.1 (1.10) 31.0 (1.58) 10.5 (0.36) 6.9 (0.37) 13.0 (1.08) 26.0 (1.54)
                                                 
20004 10.9 (0.26) 6.9 (0.26) 13.1 (0.78) 27.8 (1.08) 12.0 (0.38) 7.0 (0.37) 15.3 (1.20) 31.8 (1.56) 9.9 (0.35) 6.9 (0.37) 11.1 (1.00) 23.5 (1.48)
20014 10.7 (0.24) 7.3 (0.25) 10.9 (0.68) 27.0 (1.01) 12.2 (0.36) 7.9 (0.37) 13.0 (1.06) 31.6 (1.47) 9.3 (0.32) 6.7 (0.34) 9.0 (0.86) 22.1 (1.35)
20024 10.5 (0.24) 6.5 (0.24) 11.3 (0.70) 25.7 (0.93) 11.8 (0.35) 6.7 (0.35) 12.8 (1.07) 29.6 (1.32) 9.2 (0.32) 6.3 (0.34) 9.9 (0.91) 21.2 (1.27)
20034,5 9.9 (0.23) 6.3 (0.24) 10.9 (0.69) 23.5 (0.90) 11.3 (0.34) 7.1 (0.35) 12.5 (1.05) 26.7 (1.29) 8.4 (0.30) 5.6 (0.32) 9.5 (0.89) 20.1 (1.23)
20044,5 10.3 (0.23) 6.8 (0.24) 11.8 (0.70) 23.8 (0.89) 11.6 (0.34) 7.1 (0.35) 13.5 (1.08) 28.5 (1.30) 9.0 (0.31) 6.4 (0.34) 10.2 (0.92) 18.5 (1.18)
                                                 
20054,5 9.4 (0.22) 6.0 (0.23) 10.4 (0.66) 22.4 (0.87) 10.8 (0.33) 6.6 (0.34) 12.0 (1.02) 26.4 (1.26) 8.0 (0.29) 5.3 (0.31) 9.0 (0.86) 18.1 (1.16)
20064,5 9.3 (0.22) 5.8 (0.23) 10.7 (0.66) 22.1 (0.86) 10.3 (0.33) 6.4 (0.33) 9.7 (0.91) 25.7 (1.25) 8.3 (0.30) 5.3 (0.31) 11.7 (0.96) 18.1 (1.15)
20074,5 8.7 (0.21) 5.3 (0.22) 8.4 (0.59) 21.4 (0.83) 9.8 (0.32) 6.0 (0.32) 8.0 (0.82) 24.7 (1.22) 7.7 (0.29) 4.5 (0.28) 8.8 (0.84) 18.0 (1.13)
20084,5 8.0 (0.20) 4.8 (0.21) 9.9 (0.63) 18.3 (0.78) 8.5 (0.30) 5.4 (0.30) 8.7 (0.85) 19.9 (1.12) 7.5 (0.28) 4.2 (0.28) 11.1 (0.93) 16.7 (1.08)
20094,5 8.1 (0.20) 5.2 (0.21) 9.3 (0.61) 17.6 (0.76) 9.1 (0.31) 6.3 (0.33) 10.6 (0.93) 19.0 (1.10) 7.0 (0.27) 4.1 (0.27) 8.1 (0.80) 16.1 (1.06)
                                                 
20104,5,6 7.4 (0.27) 5.1 (0.30) 8.0 (0.76) 15.1 (0.87) 8.5 (0.40) 5.9 (0.42) 9.5 (1.11) 17.3 (1.24) 6.3 (0.28) 4.2 (0.35) 6.7 (0.85) 12.8 (0.97)
20114,5,6 7.1 (0.26) 5.0 (0.31) 7.3 (0.67) 13.6 (0.78) 7.7 (0.36) 5.4 (0.41) 8.3 (0.98) 14.6 (1.09) 6.5 (0.34) 4.6 (0.38) 6.4 (0.94) 12.4 (0.97)
20124,5,6 6.6 (0.25) 4.3 (0.31) 7.5 (0.76) 12.7 (0.72) 7.3 (0.36) 4.8 (0.40) 8.1 (1.15) 13.9 (1.04) 5.9 (0.33) 3.8 (0.37) 7.0 (1.01) 11.3 (1.00)
20134,5,6 6.8 (0.28) 5.1 (0.31) 7.3 (0.87) 11.7 (0.74) 7.2 (0.37) 5.5 (0.39) 8.2 (1.11) 12.6 (1.01) 6.3 (0.34) 4.7 (0.36) 6.6 (1.07) 10.8 (0.98)
20144,5,6 6.5 (0.25) 5.2 (0.32) 7.4 (0.74) 10.6 (0.68) 7.1 (0.37) 5.7 (0.42) 7.1 (1.02) 11.8 (1.04) 5.9 (0.29) 4.8 (0.41) 7.7 (1.02) 9.3 (0.84)
                                                 
20154,5,6 5.9 (0.26) 4.6 (0.29) 6.5 (0.70) 9.2 (0.71) 6.3 (0.37) 5.0 (0.40) 6.4 (1.04) 9.9 (0.93) 5.4 (0.33) 4.1 (0.37) 6.5 (0.98) 8.4 (0.97)
20164,5,6 6.1 (0.27) 5.2 (0.31) 6.2 (0.80) 8.6 (0.64) 7.1 (0.38) 5.8 (0.42) 8.2 (1.22) 10.1 (1.06) 5.1 (0.31) 4.6 (0.39) 4.3 (0.84) 7.0 (0.76)
—Not available.
†Not applicable.
1 Includes other racial/ethnic groups not separately shown.
2 Based on the April 1960 decennial census.
3 For 1967 through 1971, White and Black include persons of Hispanic ethnicity.
4 Because of changes in data collection procedures, data may not be comparable with figures for years prior to 1992.
5 White and Black exclude persons of Two or more races.
6 Beginning in 2010, standard errors were computed using replicate weights, which produced more precise values than the generalized variance function methodology used in prior years.
NOTE: "Status" dropouts are 16- to 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in school and who have not completed a high school program, regardless of when they left school. People who have received GED credentials are counted as high school completers. All data except for 1960 are based on October counts. 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 except where otherwise noted.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), October, 1967 through 2016. (This table was prepared September 2017.)

2017 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest