Percent of youth who dropped out of grades 10-12 in the preceding 12 months, 1975-2009

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Working for Youth Justice and Safety

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Education

Q:	Does the high school dropout rate vary by sex and race?
A:	Male and female high school youth have similar dropout rates, while dropout rates among racial and ethnic groups have greater variation.

Percent of youth who dropped out of grades 10-12 in the preceding 12 months, 1975-2009 (by sex)

Percent of youth who dropped out of grades 10-12 in the preceding 12 months, 1975-2009 (by race)

Note: White and black race groups do not include youth of Hispanic ethnicity. Persons of Hispanic ethnicity can be of any race.

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The event dropout rate in 2009 was essentially equal for female youth (3.4%) than male youth (3.5%).
In 2009, the dropout rate for white youth (2.4%) has remained below the rates for blacks (4.8%) and Hispanics (5.8%).
The annual proportion of youth in grades 10-12 who left school without completing a high school program was lower in 2009 than in the 1970s, regardless of sex, race, or ethnicity.

Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: http://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/population/qa01503.asp?qaDate=2009. Released on March 05, 2012.

Data Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Trends in High School Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States: 1972-2009. [Report no. 2012-006]. [PDF]. Washington, D.C.: 2011.