Whats the current high-school dropout rate?
We hear a lot about how American high schools are in bad shape — not enough funding, not enough teachers, and too many kids dropping out. Do the numbers support the anecdotal evidence? According to the U.S. Department of Education, 10.3% of high-school students dropped out in 2004. (Among Hispanic students, the dropout rate is a disturbingly high 23.8%.) Overall, the rate is trending downward. In 1995, 12% of all high-school students dropped out. But pinpointing an accurate high-school dropout rate has proved to be something of a challenge. States use various and sometimes questionable methods to calculate the rate, and often report only the most favorable figure. Amid all the variables, one thing is constant — those students who choose to drop out face tough c
