Why Students Drop Out

There is no single reason why students drop out

of high school. Respondents report different

reasons: a lack of connection to the school

environment; a perception that school is boring;

feeling unmotivated; academic challenges; and

the weight of real world events. But indications

are strong that these barriers to graduation are

not insurmountable.

n Nearly half (47 percent) said a major reason for

dropping out was that classes were not interesting.

These young people reported being

bored and disengaged from high school. Almost

as many (42 percent) spent time with people

who were not interested in school. These were

among the top reasons selected by those with

high GPAs and by those who said they were

motivated to work hard.

n Nearly 7 in 10 respondents (69 percent) said

they were not motivated or inspired to work

hard, 80 percent did one hour or less of homework

each day in high school, two-thirds would

have worked harder if more was demanded of

them (higher academic standards and more

studying and homework), and 70 percent were

confident they could have graduated if they had

tried. Even a majority of those with low GPAs

thought they could have graduated.

n Many students gave personal reasons for

leaving school. A third (32 percent) said they

had to get a job and make money; 26 percent

said they became a parent; and 22 percent

said they had to care for a family member. Many

of these young people reported doing

reasonably well in school and had a strong

belief that they could have graduated if they

had stayed in school. These students also were

the most likely to say they would have worked

harder if their schools had demanded more of

them and provided the necessary support.

It is clear that some dropouts, but not the

majority, leave school because of significant

academic challenges.

n Thirty-five percent said that “failing in school”

was a major factor for dropping out; three out of

ten said they could not keep up with schoolwork;

and 43 percent said they missed too

many days of school and could not catch up.

n Forty-five percent said they started high school

poorly prepared by their earlier schooling. Many

of these students likely fell behind in elementary

and middle school and could not make up

the necessary ground. They reported that additional

supports in high school that would have

made a difference (such as tutoring or after

school help) were not there.

n Thirty-two percent were required to repeat a

grade before dropping out and twenty-nine

percent expressed significant doubts that they

could have met their high school’s requirements

for graduation even if they had put in

the necessary effort. The most academically

challenged students were the most likely to

report that their schools were not doing enough

to help students when they had trouble learning

and to express doubt about whether they would

have worked harder if more had been expected

of them.

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Executive Summary

Executive Summary

As complex as these individual circumstances

may be, for almost all young people, dropping out

of high school is not a sudden act, but a gradual

process of disengagement; attendance patterns

are a clear early sign.

n Fifty-nine to 65 percent of respondents missed

class often the year before dropping out.

Students described a pattern of refusing to

wake up, skipping class, and taking three hour

lunches; each absence made them less willing

to go back. These students had long periods

of absences and were sometimes referred to

the truant officer, only to be brought back to

the same environment that led them to

become disengaged.

n Thirty-eight percent believed they had “too

much freedom” and not enough rules. As

students grew older, they had more freedom and

more options, which led some away from class

or the school building. It was often too easy to

skip class or engage in activities

outside of school.

For those students who dropped out, the level of

proactive parental involvement in their education

was low.

n Fifty-nine percent of parents or guardians of

respondents were involved in their child’s

schooling, with only one-fifth (21 percent)

“very” involved. More than half of those

parents or guardians who were involved at all

were involved mainly for discipline reasons.

n Sixty-eight percent of respondents said their

parents became more involved only when they

were aware that their child was on the verge of

dropping out. The majority of parents were “not

aware” or “just somewhat aware” of their

child’s grades or that they were about to

leave school.

In hindsight, young people who dropped out of

school almost universally expressed great

remorse for having left high school and expressed

strong interest in re-entering school with students

their age.

n As adults, the overwhelming majority of poll participants

(81 percent) said that graduating from

high school was important to success

in life.

n Three-fourths (74 percent) said that if they

were able to relive the experience, they would

have stayed in school and 76 percent said they

would definitely or probably re-enroll in a high

school for people their age if they could.

n Forty-seven percent would say that not having a

diploma makes it hard to find a good job. They

wished they had listened to those who warned

them of problems associated with

dropping out, or that such voices had been

more persistent.

What Might Help Students

Stay in School

While there are no simple solutions to the

dropout crisis, there are clearly “supports” that

can be provided within the academic environment

and at home that would improve students’

chances of staying in school. While most dropouts

blame themselves for failing to graduate, there are

things they say schools can do to help them finish.

n Improve teaching and curricula to make school

more relevant and engaging and enhance the

connection between school and work: Four out

of five (81 percent) said there should be more

opportunities for real-world learning and some in

the focus groups called for more experiential

learning. They said students need to see the

connection between school and getting a

good job.

n Improve instruction, and access to supports, for

struggling students: Four out of five (81

percent) wanted better teachers and threefourths

wanted smaller classes with more

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Executive Summary

individualized instruction. More than half (55

percent) felt that more needed to be done

to help students who had problems learning,

and 70 percent believed more tutoring, summer

school and extra time with teachers would have

improved their chances of graduating.

n Build a school climate that fosters academics:

Seven in ten favored increasing supervision in

school and more than three in five (62 percent)

felt more classroom discipline was necessary.

More than half (57 percent) felt their schools

did not do enough to help students feel safe

from violence. Seven in ten (71 percent) said

their schools did not do enough to make

school interesting.

n Ensure that students have a strong relationship

with at least one adult in the school: While

two-thirds (65 percent) said there was a staff

member or teacher who cared about their

success, only 56 percent said they could go

to a staff person for school problems and just

two-fifths (41 percent) had someone in school

to talk to about personal problems. More than

three out of five (62 percent) said their school

needed to do more to help students with problems

outside of class. Seven in ten favored

more parental involvement.

n Improve the communication between parents

and schools: Seventy-one percent of young

people surveyed felt that one of the keys to

keeping students in school was to have better

communication between the parents and the

school, and increasing parental involvement in

their child’s education. Less than half said their

school contacted their parents or themselves

when they were absent (47 percent) or when

they dropped out (48 percent).