Daily Almanac for
Dec 8, 2009
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Society and Culture > Education > School Enrollment and Educational Attainment

High School Dropout Rates by Sex

Percentage of Dropouts from 1960–2006

The percentage of high school dropouts, ages 16-24, has declined since 1960. The percentage of male students who dropped out of high school has decreased from 27.8% in 1960 to 10.3% in 2006. The percentage of female dropouts has decreased from 26.7% to 8.3%.

Year Total Male Female
1960 27.2% 27.8% 26.7%
1970 15.0 14.2 15.7
1980 14.1 15.1 13.1
1985 12.6 13.4 11.8
1990 12.1 12.3 11.8
1992 11.0 11.3 10.7
1993 11.0 11.2 10.9
1994 11.4 12.3 10.6
1995 12.0 12.2 11.7
1996 11.1 11.4 10.9
1997 11.0 11.9 10.1
1998 11.8 13.3 10.3
1999 11.2 11.9 10.5
2000 10.9 12.0 9.9
2001 10.7 12.2 9.3
2002 10.5 11.8 9.2
2003 9.9 11.3 8.4
2004 10.3 11.6 9.0
2005 9.4 10.8 8.0
2006 9.3 10.3 8.3

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics 2007.

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High School and College Graduates School Enrollment and Educational Attainment High School Dropout Rates by Race/Ethnicity
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