State dropout data on Class of 2010, reported by MDE May 4, 2011:
- Mississippi’s dropout rate is 17% for the four-year cohort that began with first time 9th graders in the 2006-2007 school year and ended with the 2009-2010 school year. Click here to find school district-level dropout rates.
- Dropout rates for Class of 2010 demographic groups, statewide:
- Female, 14.3%
- Male, 19.7%
- Asian, 7.7%
- Black, 20.6%
- Hispanic, 20.9%
- Native American, 11.8%
- White, 13%
- Black Female, 17.1%
- White Female, 11.2%
- Black Male, 24.2%
- White Male, 14.9%
- Economically Disadvantaged*, 18.4%
- Individualized Education Program (IEP)**, 22.2%
- Limited English Proficient***, 22.8%
*Classified as economically disadvantaged in last known month of enrollment.
**Classified as students with disabilities under IDEA in last known month of enrollment.
***Classified as Limited English Proficient during any of the four school years.
The costs of dropouts to Mississippi:
- There are more than 150,000 high school dropouts on Medicaid in Mississippi, costing the state more than $200 million annually.
- Almost two out of three of all public assistance recipients in Mississippi have been found to be individuals who did not complete high school.
- If the male high school graduation rate increased just 5%, the reduced crime rate and increased earnings would give Mississippi a combined savings and revenue of more than $90 million annually.
- School dropouts are more likely than graduates to go to jail. Past studies have shown that 75% of inmates in state prisons, 59% of federal prisoners and 69% of local jail inmates are high school dropouts.
- Overall, high school dropouts cost the state of Mississippi more than $450 million annually in lost revenue and added public assistance and incarceration costs.
Poverty/employment/salary for high school dropout versus bachelor’s degree or higher:
- Adult poverty rate in Mississippi, 2008 – high school dropout, 32%; high school graduate, 16%; some college, 11%; bachelor’s degree or higher, 5%.
- Adult unemployment rate in Mississippi, December 2009 – high school dropout, 15.7%; bachelor’s degree or higher, 4.7%.
- Adult earnings in U.S. – In 2008, the median of the earnings of young adults with a bachelor’s degree was $46,000, while the median was $36,000 for those with an associate’s degree, $30,000 for those with a high school diploma or its equivalent, and $23,500 for those who did not earn a high school diploma or its equivalent. In other words, in 2008, young adults with a bachelor’s degree earned 28 percent more than young adults with an associate’s degree, 53 percent more than young adult high school completers, and 96 percent more than young adults who did not earn a high school diploma. In 2008, the median of the earnings of young adults with a master’s degree or higher was $55,000—20 percent more than young adults with a bachelor’s degree. (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2010)
Dropout prevention resources:
Click here to access the Mississippi Department of Education’s Office of Dropout Prevention.
Click here to read about Pascagoula’s full-scale Destination Graduation program.
Click here for ideas and resources available through the “On the Bus” campaign.
For ideas from other communities, go to www.onthebus.ms and click on the “Info for you: Communities” link. Some of the communities that have reported interesting programs are Alcorn County, Amory, Bolivar County, Canton, Hancock County, Itawamba County, Jackson (city), Simpson County, and West Point.
Also, look at Picayune’s story here.
View individual video clips under the heading, “Stories from Mississippians,” and watch the “Partnerships and Progress” video. One currently active organization mentioned in the video is Gear Up Mississippi, which lists Tupelo High School as one of its partner schools for this year. See www.gearupms.org.
