Indicator 17 Snapshot: High School Status Dropout Rates for Racial/Ethnic Subgroups
(Last Updated: February 2019)

In 2016, among Hispanic 16- to 24-year-olds in the United States, the high school status dropout rate ranged from 2.4 percent for individuals of Peruvian descent to 22.9 percent for those of Guatemalan descent. Among Asian 16- to 24-year-olds, status dropout rates ranged from 0.7 percent for individuals of Korean descent to 29.7 percent for those of Burmese descent.

While the indicator High School Status Dropout Rates presents overall high school status dropout rates for Hispanic and Asian 16- to 24-year-olds, the rates vary within both of these groups. The Census Bureau’s American Community Survey can be used to estimate the status dropout rates for many specific Asian and Hispanic subgroups, including, for example, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Chinese, and Vietnamese.

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Figure 17S.1. Status dropout rates of 16- to 24-year-olds, by selected Hispanic subgroups: 2016

! 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.
¹ Includes other Central American subgroups not shown separately.
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 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. 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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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.¹ In 2016, the high school status dropout rate for all Hispanic 16- to 24-year-olds was 9.1 percent. Status dropout rates for individuals of Guatemalan (22.9 percent), Honduran (16.7 percent), and Salvadoran (13.3 percent) descent were higher than the total rate for all Hispanic individuals. In contrast, six subgroups had status dropout rates that were lower than the total Hispanic rate: Spaniard (6.5 percent), Ecuadorian (6.1 percent), Cuban (5.4 percent), Venezuelan (3.3 percent), Colombian (2.9 percent), and Peruvian (2.4 percent). The status dropout rates for the remaining Hispanic subgroups, including individuals of Mexican (9.0 percent) and Puerto Rican (9.1 percent) descent, were not measurably different from the total Hispanic rate. When looking at the dropout rate by region, the overall rate for individuals of Central American (15.4 percent) descent was higher than the total Hispanic rate, while the overall status dropout rate for individuals of South American (3.6 percent) descent was lower than the total Hispanic rate.

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Figure 17S.2. Status dropout rates of 16- to 24-year-olds, by selected Asian subgroups: 2016

! 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.
¹ Includes Taiwanese.
² In addition to the subgroups shown, also includes Sri Lankan.
³ Consists of Indonesian and Malaysian.
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 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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Among all Asian 16- to 24-year-olds, the high school status dropout rate was 2.0 percent in 2016. The status dropout rate for individuals of Burmese (29.7 percent) descent was higher than the total Asian rate, while the rates for individuals of Korean (0.7 percent) and Chinese (0.8 percent) descent were lower than the total Asian rate. Status dropout rates for the remaining Asian subgroups were not measurably different from the total rate for all Asian 16- to 24-year-olds. When looking at the dropout rate by region, the overall rate for individuals of Southeast Asian (4.0 percent) descent was higher than the total Asian rate.

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Endnotes

¹ High school credentials include either a diploma or an equivalency credential such as a GED certificate.

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