Table 1. Event dropout rates and number and distribution of 15- through 24-year-olds who dropped out of grades 10–12, by selected background characteristics: October 2005

Dropout Rates in the United States: 2005

NCES 2007-059
June 2007

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Characteristic	Event dropout rate (percent)	Number of event dropouts (thousands)	Population enrolled ¹ (thousands)	Percent of all dropouts	Percent of population enrolled

Total	3.8	414	10,870	100.0	100.0

Sex
Male	4.2	233	5,515	56.3	50.7
Female	3.4	181	5,355	43.7	49.3

Race/ethnicity ²
White, non–Hispanic	2.8 !	196	6,897	47.3	63.5
Black, non–Hispanic	7.3	112	1,538	27.2	14.1
Hispanic	5.0	86	1,717	20.8	15.8
Asian/Pacific Islander, non–Hispanic	1.6 !	6 !	411	1.5 !	3.8
More than one race	4.9 !	12 !	241	2.9 !	2.2 !

Family income ³
Low income	8.9	137	1,544	33.1	14.2
Middle income	3.8	228	5,990	55.2	55.1
High income	1.5	49	3,326	11.7	30.6

Age ⁴
15–16	2.1	72	3,347	17.4	30.8
17	2.4	93	3,797	22.5	34.9
18	3.9	105	2,693	25.3	24.8
19	9.1	64	702	15.4	6.5
20–24	24.4	81	331	19.5	3.0

Recency of immigration
Born outside the 50 states and District of Columbia
Hispanic	5.9	25	418	6.0	3.8
Non–Hispanic	5.0	22	440	5.3	4.0
First generation ⁵
Hispanic	5.5	40	738	9.8	6.8
Non–Hispanic	1.2 !	9 !	759	2.2	7.0
Second generation or higher ⁵
Hispanic	3.7 !	21 !	562	5.0	5.2
Non–Hispanic	3.7	297	7,954	71.8	73.2

Region
Northeast	3.8	79	2,074	19.1	19.1
Midwest	3.1	80	2,570	19.4	23.6
South	4.4	165	3,754	39.9	34.5
West	3.6	90	2,472	21.7	22.7
! Interpret data with caution. Because of relatively large standard errors, estimates are unstable. ¹ This is an estimate of the population of 15– through 24–year–olds enrolled during the previous year in high school based on the number of students still enrolled in the current year and the number of students who either graduated or dropped out the previous year. ² Respondents were able to identify themselves as being “more than one race.” The White, non–Hispanic; Black, non–Hispanic; and Asian/Pacific Islander, non–Hispanic categories consist of individuals who considered themselves to be one race and who did not identify as Hispanic. Non–Hispanics who identified as multiracial are included in the “more than one race” category. The Hispanic category consists of Hispanics of all races and racial combinations. Because of small sample size, American Indians/Alaska Natives are included in the total but are not shown separately. ³ Low income is defined as the bottom 20 percent of all family incomes for 2005; middle income is between 20 and 80 percent of all family incomes; and high income is the top 20 percent of all family incomes. ⁴ Age when a person dropped out may be 1 year younger, because the dropout event could occur at any time over a 12–month period. ⁵ Individuals defined as “first generation” were born in the 50 states or the District of Columbia, and one or both of their parents were born outside the 50 states or the District of Columbia. Individuals defined as “second generation or higher” were born in the 50 states or the District of Columbia, as were both of their parents. NOTE: The event dropout rate indicates percentage of youth ages 15 through 24 who dropped out of grades 10–12 between one October and the next (e.g., October 2004 to October 2005). Dropping out is defined as leaving school without a high school diploma or equivalent credential such as a General Educational Development (GED) certificate. Detail may not add to totals because of rounding. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), October 2005.

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