High school dropouts are four times as likely to be unemployed as those who have completed four or more years of college;
Graduating from high school will determine how well you live for the next 50 years of your life. High school graduates earn $143 more per week than high school dropouts. College graduates earn $336 more per week than high school graduates ($479 more per week than high school dropouts);
Dropouts are more likely to apply for and receive public assistance than graduates of high school;
Dropouts comprise a disproportionate percentage of the nation’s prison and death row inmates. About 75% of America’s State prison inmates, almost 59% of Federal inmates, and 69% of local jail inmates did not complete high school (Harlow, 2003);
School districts all over the country provide alternative programs for students who are not successful in the usual school setting. The best programs in the country are featured in our Model Programs Database.
Harlow, C. W. (January 2003). Education and correctional populations (NCJ 195670). Retrieved from Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice Web site http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/ecp.pdf
New York State Department of Labor. Did you know? Downloaded from: http://www.labor.state.ny.us/working_ny/finding_a_job/youth/ why.htm.
Shields, Tom (2001, April 14). Why stay in school? A view from the other side of graduation. Erin Advocate, 123(15). http://www.erinhoops.ca/HoopsPrograms/StayInSchool.htm.
