Reducing the Dropout Rate

Each and every student in Washington should graduate from high school with the skills necessary to succeed in college and in the workforce. This means each and every student—without exception—must earn a high school diploma. In reality, far too many of Washington's students drop out of high school without earning a diploma. The state's 2008 annual dropout rate was 5.6 percent, which means that 18,246 students dropped out last school year alone. Just as alarming, more than a fifth of Washington's students drop out over the course of their high school careers: a full 21.4 percent of the state's Class of 2008 dropped out of high school sometime between freshman and senior year. What's more, the state's minority students are dropping are far higher rates than non-minority students. While 18.7 percent of White students dropped out in 2008, 29.6 percent of Latino, 32.5 percent of African American and 40.8 percent of Native American students dropped out.^[1]

Washington's 20 percent dropout rate is unacceptable, as is the current gap between minority and non-minority dropout rates. If Washington is to have a strong workforce and a competitive economy, it must ensure that all students earn a high school diploma that is benchmarked to college and work readiness standards.

[1] OSPI, http://www.k12.wa.us/