High School Dropout Rates by Race/Ethnicity

Updated August 5, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

Percentage of Dropouts from 1970–2006

The percentage of high school dropouts, ages 16-24, has decreased since 1970. The percentage of white students who have dropped out of high school has declined from 13.2% to 5.8%; the percentage of black students has decreased from 27.9% to 10.7%. Hispanic dropouts have declined from 35.2% in 1980 to 22.1% in 2006.

Year White Black Hispanic
1970 13.2% 27.9%
1980 11.4 19.1 35.2%
1985 10.4 15.2 27.6
1990 9.0 13.2 32.4
1992 7.7 13.7 29.4
1993 7.9 13.6 27.5
1994 7.7 12.6 30.0
1995 8.6 12.1 30.0
1996 7.3 13.0 29.4
1997 7.6 13.4 25.3
1998 7.7 13.8 29.5
1999 7.3 12.6 28.6
2000 6.9 13.1 27.8
2001 7.3 10.9 27.0
2002 6.5 11.3 25.7
2003 6.3 10.9 23.5
2004 6.8 11.8 23.8
2005 6.0 10.4 22.4
2006 5.8 10.7 22.1

NOTE: (—) = not available. Data apply to persons ages 16–24. Because of changes in data collection procedures, data for 1992 onward may not be comparable with figures for earlier years. "White" and "Black" do not include those who identify as Hispanic, or as belonging to more than one race.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics 2007.

High School Dropout Rates by Sex
High School and College Graduates School Enrollment and Educational Attainment
School Enrollment and Educational Attainment
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