Trends in High School Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States: 1972–2008

NCES 2011-012 December 2010

Table 9. Status completion rates, and number and distribution of completers ages 18–24 not currently enrolled in high school or below, by selected characteristics: October 2008

Characteristic	Completion rate (percent)	Number of completers (thousands)	Population (thousands)	Percent of all completers	Percent of population
Total	89.9	24,518	27,270	100.0	100.0
Sex
Male	89.3	12,169	13,626	49.6	50.0
Female	90.5	12,349	13,644	50.4	50.0
Race/ethnicity1
White, non-Hispanic	94.2	16,018	16,998	65.3	62.3
Black, non-Hispanic	86.9	3,254	3,744	13.3	13.7
Hispanic	75.5	3,606	4,773	14.7	17.5
Asian/Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic	95.5	1,045	1,094	4.3	4.0
American Indian/Alaska Native, non-Hispanic	82.5	177	215	0.7	0.8
Two or more races, non-Hispanic	94.2	419	445	1.7	1.6
Age
18–19	89.0	6,237	7,010	25.4	25.7
20–21	91.0	7,235	7,951	29.5	29.2
22–24	89.7	11,047	12,308	45.1	45.1
Recency of immigration
Born outside the 50 states and District of Columbia
Hispanic	59.8	1,104	1,846	4.5	6.8
Non-Hispanic	93.7	1,442	1,539	5.9	5.6
First generation2
Hispanic	85.1	1,349	1,584	5.5	5.8
Non-Hispanic	96.2	1,579	1,642	6.4	6.0
Second generation or higher2
Hispanic	85.8	1,153	1,343	4.7	4.9
Non-Hispanic	92.6	17,892	19,315	73.0	70.8
Region
Northeast	92.7	4,530	4,888	18.5	17.9
Midwest	90.3	5,396	5,977	22.0	21.9
South	89.1	8,737	9,804	35.6	36.0
West	88.7	5,854	6,601	23.9	24.2
1 Respondents were able to identify themselves as being two or more races. The White (non-Hispanic), Black (non-Hispanic), Asian/Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic), and American Indian/Alaska Native (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 (non-Hispanic) category. The Hispanic category consists of Hispanics of all races and racial combinations. 2 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: Status completion rates measure the percentage of 18- through 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in high school and who also hold a high school diploma or equivalent credential, such as a General Educational Development (GED) certificate. Those still enrolled in high school are excluded from the analysis. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), October 2008.