NEW Report: “Trends in High School Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States: 2019”

The report linked to below was published today by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

From the Publication Announcement:

For the first time in 40 years, the status completion rate for Black 18- to 24-year-olds was not measurably different from White 18- to 24-year-olds. From 1977 to 2016 the status completion rate for White 18- to 24-year-olds was consistently higher than the rate for Black 18- to 24-year-olds.

The National Center for Education Statistics report, Trends in High School Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States: 2019, presents statistics on high school dropout and completion rates at the state and national levels.

Other key findings from this year’s report are:

• Between October 2016 and October 2017, approximately 523,000 15- to 24-year-olds left school without obtaining a high school credential. These event dropouts accounted for 4.7 percent of the 11.1 million youth enrolled in grades 10 through 12 in 2017.
• In October 2017, approximately 93.3 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds who were not enrolled in high school held a high school diploma or an alternative credential. Compared to 1977, this represents a 9.7 percentage point increase.
• In 2017, the status dropout rate* for all 16- to 24-year-olds was 5.4 percent. Status dropout rates have trended downward, declining from 14.1 percent in 1977.
• In 2016–17, the adjusted cohort graduation rates** for American Indian/Alaska Native (72 percent), Black (78 percent), and Hispanic (80 percent) public high school students were below the U.S. average of 85 percent.

*The status dropout rate is the percentage of 16- to 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in school and have not earned a high school credential.
** The adjusted cohort graduation rate provides information about the percentage of U.S. public high school students who graduate on time (that is, 4 years after starting 9th grade for the first time) with a regular diploma.

Browse the Report Online

Download the Full Text Report

Filed under: News