A new national dropout report released this month shows 25% of all students including 40% of Hispanics and blacks are failing to graduate. There are 2000 high schools that produce half of the nation’s dropouts and nearly three quarters are minority students. Forty seven states that reported by gender, say that the rates of males dropping out was higher than females, according to ABC News. The education Department believes this is a crisis.

The President’s agenda addresses the crisis with a commitment to take the low performing schools and turn them around. There is four billion dollars to use resources to turn these students around from being drop outs to graduates.

The NCES states this doesn’t take into account the kids that take longer to graduate. Also comparing the US to other countries can be extremely hard as each country has its own system of tracking.

From the school year 2007-2008, 613,379 kids dropped out of school from ninth to twelfth grade that is a 4.1% rate. The highest dropout rate was Louisiana with 7.5% and New Jersey and Indiana tying for the lowest at 1.7%. With the economic problems and loss of income from parents, the growing problem could become worse within the next few years.

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