Indicator 17: High School Status Dropout Rates
(Last Updated: February 2019)

From 2000 to 2016, the Hispanic status dropout rate decreased from 27.8 to 8.6 percent, while the Black rate decreased from 13.1 to 6.2 percent, and the White rate decreased from 6.9 to 5.2 percent. Nevertheless, the Hispanic status dropout rate in 2016 remained higher than the Black and White rates. There was no measurable difference between the Black and White status dropout rates in 2016.

Status dropouts are no longer attending school (public or private) and do not have a high school level of educational attainment. The status dropout rate measures the percentage of 16- to 24-year-olds in the United States¹ who are not enrolled in school and have not earned a high school credential.² In this indicator, status dropout rates are estimated using both the Current Population Survey (CPS) and the American Community Survey (ACS). CPS data have been collected annually for decades, allowing for the analysis of detailed long-term trends, or changes over time, for the civilian, noninstitutionalized population. ACS data, which are available for more recent years, cover individuals living in households and noninstitutionalized group quarters (such as college or military housing), and can provide detail on smaller demographic groups.

Data from the CPS show that in 2016, approximately 2.3 million 16- to 24-year-olds were not enrolled in high school and had not earned a high school diploma or an equivalency credential. These status dropouts accounted for 6.1 percent of the 38.4 million noninstitutionalized, civilian 16- to 24-year-olds living in the United States. The White status dropout rate (5.2 percent) was lower than the Hispanic rate (8.6 percent), but not measurably different from the Black rate (6.2 percent). Additionally, the Black status dropout rate was lower than the Hispanic rate.

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Figure 17.1. Status dropout rates of 16- to 24-year-olds, by race/ethnicity: 2000 through 2016

NOTE: The status dropout rate is the percentage of 16- to 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in school and have not earned a high school credential (either a diploma or an equivalency credential such as a GED certificate). Data for total include other racial/ethnic categories not separately shown. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Data are based on sample surveys of the civilian noninstitutionalized population.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), October 2000 through 2016. See Digest of Education Statistics 2017, table 219.70.

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The status dropout rate for all 16- to 24-year-olds decreased from 10.9 percent in 2000 to 6.1 percent in 2016. In each year from 2000 to 2015, the status dropout rate was lower for White than for Black 16- to 24-year-olds, but in 2016 there was no measurable difference between the White and Black status dropout rates. In all years from 2000 to 2016, the status dropout rates for both White and Black 16- to 24-year-olds were lower than the rates for their Hispanic peers. During this period, the rate for White individuals declined from 6.9 to 5.2 percent; the rate for Black individuals declined from 13.1 to 6.2 percent; and the rate for Hispanic individuals declined from 27.8 to 8.6 percent.

As a result of these declines, the gap in status dropout rates between White and Hispanic 16- to 24-year-olds narrowed from 20.9 percentage points in 2000 to 3.4 percentage points in 2016. The White-Black gap narrowed from 6.2 percentage points in 2000 to 1.9 percentage points in 2015, and in 2016 there was no measurable difference between the status dropout rates for White and Black 16- to 24-year-olds.

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Figure 17.2. Status dropout rates of 16- to 24-year-olds, by race/ethnicity and sex: 2016

¹ Includes other racial/ethnic categories not separately shown.
NOTE: This figure uses a different data source than figure 1 in this indicator; therefore, estimates are not directly comparable to the estimates in figure 1. The status dropout rate is the percentage of 16- to 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in school and have not earned a high school credential (either a diploma or an equivalency credential such as a GED certificate). Data are based on sample surveys of persons living in households, noninstitutionalized group quarters (such as college and university housing, military quarters, facilities for workers and religious groups, and temporary shelters for the homeless), and institutionalized group quarters (such as adult and juvenile correctional facilities, nursing facilities, and other health care facilities). Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded estimates.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), 2016. See Digest of Education Statistics 2017, table 219.80.

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Based on data from the ACS, the status dropout rate in 2016 was lower for individuals who were Asian (2.0 percent) than for those who were White (4.5 percent) and of Two or more races (4.8 percent), and the rates for all three groups were lower than the rates for Pacific Islander (6.9 percent), Black (7.0 percent), Hispanic (9.1 percent), and American Indian/Alaska Native (11.0 percent) individuals. Additionally, the rates for individuals who were Black or Pacific Islander were lower than the rates for those who were Hispanic and American Indian/Alaska Native.

In 2016, the male status dropout rate (6.8 percent) was higher than the female rate (4.7 percent). This pattern of higher male status dropout rates was also evident for individuals who were American Indian/Alaska Native, Black, Hispanic, of Two or more races, and White. For example, the gap between male and female dropout rates was 4.7 percentage points for American Indian/Alaska Native 16- to 24-year-olds and 1.4 percentage points for White 16- to 24-year-olds.

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Figure 17.3. Status dropout rates of 16- to 24-year-olds, by race/ethnicity and nativity: 2016

! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.
¹ Includes other racial/ethnic categories not separately shown.
NOTE: This figure uses a different data source than figure 1 in this indicator; therefore, estimates are not directly comparable to the estimates in figure 1. The status dropout rate is the percentage of 16- to 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in school and have not earned a high school credential (either a diploma or an equivalency credential such as a GED certificate). 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. Data are based on sample surveys of persons living in households and noninstitutionalized group quarters. Noninstitutionalized group quarters include college and university housing, military quarters, facilities for workers and religious groups, and temporary shelters for the homeless. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded estimates.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), 2016. See Digest of Education Statistics 2017, table 219.80.

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Status dropout rates also varied between U.S.- and foreign-born 16- to 24-year-olds living in the United States. In 2016, Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and Asian 16- to 24-year-olds born in the United States³ had lower status dropout rates than did their counterparts born outside of the United States. The gap between status dropouts born in the United States and born outside the United States was 9.8 percentage points for Pacific Islander (3.9 vs. 13.7 percent), 9.6 percentage points for Hispanic 16- to 24-year-olds (6.5 vs. 16.1 percent), and 2.0 percentage points for Asian 16- to 24-year-olds (1.0 vs. 3.0 percent). There were no measurable differences by nativity in the status dropout rates of 16- to 24-year-olds who were White, Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, and of Two or more races.

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Endnotes

¹ Includes those living in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
² High school credentials include either a diploma or an equivalency credential such as a GED certificate.
³ Unlike those living in the United States, which only includes the 50 states and the District of Columbia, those born in the United States include individuals born in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Marianas.

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