Table 3. Dropout rates in grades 9–12, by year and state or jurisdiction: School years 2002–03, 2003–04, and 2004

Numbers and Rates of Public High School Dropouts: School Year 2004–05

NCES 2008-305
December 2007

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Table 3. Dropout rates in grades 9–12, by year and state or jurisdiction: School years 2002–03, 2003–04, and 2004–05
	Dropout rates, grades 9–12¹
State or jurisdiction	2002–03	2003–04	2004–05
Reporting states²	3.9	4.1	3.9

Alabama³	3.5	3.3	2.8
Alaska³	7.6	7.0	8.2
Arizona³	8.5	6.7	6.2
Arkansas	4.6	4.7	4.3
California	3.2	3.3	3.1

Colorado	3.5	5.4	7.8
Connecticut	2.1	‡	‡
Delaware	5.5	6.1	5.3
District of Columbia	—	—	—
Florida³	3.4	3.4	3.5

Georgia	5.8	5.4	5.6
Hawaii	4.7	4.8	4.7
Idaho	3.9	3.1	3.0
Illinois³	5.7	5.3	4.5
Indiana	2.2	2.5	2.5

Iowa	1.9	‡	2.2
Kansas	2.4	2.2	2.1
Kentucky	3.3	3.3	3.5
Louisiana	7.5	7.9	7.5
Maine	2.8	2.7	2.8

Maryland³	3.6	4.1	3.9
Massachusetts	3.3	3.7	3.8
Michigan	4.5	4.6	3.9
Minnesota	3.8	‡	‡
Mississippi	3.7	2.9	2.8

Missouri	3.3	3.3	3.7
Montana	3.6	3.4	3.4
Nebraska	3.1	2.8	2.7
Nevada	6.1	6.0	5.8
New Hampshire	3.8	3.8	3.5

New Jersey³	1.8	‡	‡
New Mexico	4.7	5.2	4.2
New York³	5.5	5.6	5.7
North Carolina	5.2	5.2	5.2
North Dakota	2.2	2.0	1.9

Ohio	3.0	3.3	3.5
Oklahoma	4.0	3.9	3.5
Oregon	4.4	—	—
Pennsylvania	3.2	2.9	2.9
Rhode Island	4.0	3.4	4.1

South Carolina	3.2	3.4	3.3
South Dakota	3.3	4.2	4.4
Tennessee³	3.2	3.3	2.7
Texas	3.6	3.6	3.6
Utah	3.9	3.8	3.7

Vermont³	3.5	2.8	2.6
Virginia	3.0	2.8	2.5
Washington	6.2	6.5	4.5
West Virginia	3.7	4.3	4.1
Wisconsin	2.0	‡	2.4
Wyoming	4.5	4.6	4.8

Department of Defense dependents schools, Bureau of Indian Education, and other jurisdictions
DoDDS: DoDs Overseas⁴	—	—	—
DDESS: DoDs Domestic⁴	—	—	—
Bureau of Indian Education	—	—	—
American Samoa	2.0	2.4	2.5
Guam³	—	9.1	—
Northern Marianas Islands	2.6	2.8	2.8
Puerto Rico³	—	—	—
U.S. Virgin Islands	2.8	7.7	6.2
— Not available. State did not report dropout counts or reported counts that did not conform to the NCES definition. See appendix A for more information.
‡ Reporting standards were not met. Dropout data were missing for more than 20 percent of grade 9–12 total membership.
¹ Ungraded students (students not in a standard grade) who drop out of school are assigned by the local education agency (LEA) to the graded dropout count that most closely matches the grade they would have been enrolled in based on their age. Ungraded student enrollments are prorated into grades based on graded enrollments to calculate denominators for dropout rates. See appendix A for more information.
² Reporting state totals include those within the 50 states and the District of Columbia that reported data.
³ State reported dropout counts on an alternative July through June cycle rather than the October through September cycle specified by NCES.
⁴ DoDDS and DDESS are the Department of Defense dependents schools (overseas) and the Department of Defense dependents schools (domestic), respectively.
NOTE: A dropout is an individual who was enrolled in school at some time during the previous school year, but was not enrolled at the beginning of the current school year, has not graduated from high school or completed a state- or district-approved education program; and does not meet any of the following exclusionary conditions: transfer to another public school district, private school, or state- or district-approved education program; temporary absence due to suspension or school-approved illness; or death.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "Common Core of Data State-Level Public School Dropout Data File," 2002–03, version 1a; "Common Core of Data State-Level Public School Dropout Data File," 2003–04, version 1a; and "Common Core of Data State-Level Public School Dropout Data File," 2004–05, version 1a.

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