Definition:
In New York State, the annual dropout rate refers to the proportion of students in grades 9 through 12 who left school prior to graduation for any reason, except death and did not enter another school or high school equivalency preparation program. Annual high school dropout percents are calculated by dividing the number of students who drop out during a single year by the enrollment in grades 9 through 12 (including the portion of any ungraded secondary enrollment for that year that can be attributed to grades 9 through 12) and multiplying by 100.
Significance:
Beyond its inherent message of failure for students who drop out, young people who do not complete high school are at a great disadvantage in today's society. Dropouts have far higher unemployment rates than high school graduates. When employed, they earn less, are more likely to be in semi-skilled manual jobs and work at jobs with poorer working conditions. The social, economic and personal costs include foregone tax revenues, decreased productivity, increased demand for and reliance on social services, increased probability of criminal activity, reduced political participation and generally poorer health.
Findings:
In 2007/08, the statewide reported dropout rate was 2.9 percent which is a decrease from the prior year. New York City's dropout rate was 4.0 percent which is also down from prior years.
The percentage of students reported as having dropped out in the state remained fairly stable at about 4 percent through the 1990s and into 2000/01. The substantial increase in the dropout rate between the 2000/01 and 2001/02 years was due to the State's implementation of a new information system for accounting for and enumerating dropouts.
In 2007/08, just under 50 percent of students who dropped out of school attended New York City public schools.
The counties outside New York City with the highest percentages of students reported as having dropped out were: Seneca (4.5%), Montgomery (4.5%), Erie (3.9%), and Chemung (3.9%).
The counties with the lowest percentages of students reported as having dropped out were: Putnam (0.8%), Jefferson (1.0%), Nassau (0.9%), and Hamilton (1.1%).
The counties outside New York City with the highest percentages of students reported as having dropped out were: Erie (4.4%), Orleans and Seneca (3.6%), and Clinton (3.5%).
The counties with the lowest percentages of students reported as having dropped out were: Putnam (0.8%), Jefferson (1.0%), Nassau (1.1%), and Hamilton and Rockland (1.4%).
KWIC
Indicator(s) and Narrative For: