Table 1. Event dropout rates and number and distribution of 15- through 24-year-olds who dropped out of grades 10–12, by selected characteristics: October 2007

Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States: 2007

NCES 2009-064
September 2009

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Table 1. Event dropout rates and number and distribution of 15- through 24-year-olds who dropped out of grades 10–12, by selected characteristics: October 2007

Characteristic	Event dropout rate (percent)		Number of event dropouts (thousands)		Population enrolled1 (thousands)	Percent of all dropouts		Percent of population enrolled

Total	3.5		383		10,967	100.0		100.0

Sex
Male	3.7		206		5,548	53.8		50.6
Female	3.3		177		5,419	46.2		49.4

Race/ethnicity²
White, non-Hispanic	2.2		155		6,955	40.5		63.4
Black, non-Hispanic	4.5		74		1,627	19.3		14.8
Hispanic	6.0		99		1,635	25.7		14.9
Asian/Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic	7.5		31		407	8.0		3.7

Family income³
Low income	8.8		132		1,503	34.5		13.7
Middle income	3.5		223		6,351	58.2		57.9
High income	0.9		28		3,113	7.3		28.4

Age⁴
15–16	3.2		101		3,177	26.4		29.0
17	2.1		82		3,870	21.4		35.3
18	4.0		113		2,832	29.4		25.8
19	4.1		34		823	8.8		7.5
20–24	20.3		54		266	14.1		2.4

Recency of immigration
Born outside the 50 states and District of Columbia
Hispanic	10.1		40		399	10.5		3.6
Non-Hispanic	7.3		34		458	8.8		4.2
First generation⁵
Hispanic	4.0		30		743	7.8		6.8
Non-Hispanic	1.7	!	13	!	801	3.5	!	7.3
Second generation or higher⁵
Hispanic	5.7		28		493	7.4		4.5
Non-Hispanic	2.9		238		8,073	62.0		73.6
Region
Northeast	2.9		58		2,007	15.2		18.3
Midwest	3.1		82		2,642	21.4		24.1
South	3.6		135		3,757	35.2		34.3
West	4.2		108		2,560	28.1		23.3
! Interpret data with caution. Due to 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 “two or more races.” 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 themselves as multiracial are included in the “two or more races” category. The Hispanic category consists of Hispanics of all races and racial combinations. Due to small sample size, the American Indians/Alaska Natives and those who identified themselves as being more than two races, but not Hispanic 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 2007; 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 the percentage of youth ages 15 through 24 who dropped out of grades 10–12 between one October and the next (e.g., October 2006 to October 2007). 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 sum to totals because of rounding. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), October 2007.

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