Information Services - Statistical Reports
Dropout Rates 1999 - 2000
Results for Selected Student Populations
Because the dropout rate varies among specific student populations, examining the rate for specific populations is important in developing and targeting dropout prevention efforts. The data collected allow for an analysis by grade level, gender, race/ethnicity, and certain types of schools.
Grade
Students in grade eleven dropped out at a higher rate than did students in other grades. The 1999-00 dropout rate for eleventh-graders was 3.9 percent, followed by 3.7 percent for tenth-graders, and 3.1 percent for ninth and twelfth-graders. Each grade level has neither consistently decreased nor increased, but instead has fluctuated slightly from year to year.
Gender
Consistent with previous years, the 1999-00 dropout rate was higher for males than for females. The annual rate was 4.0 percent for males, approximately a percentage point higher than the rate of 2.9 percent for females.
The dropout rate for males stayed the same in 1999-00 as the prior year. The dropout rate of 2.9 percent for females decreased slightly from 3.1 percent the previous year.
Race/Ethnicity
Consistent with previous years, the dropout rates in 1999-00 varied according to race/ethnicity. As in the prior four years, the rate of 8.2 percent for Hispanic
students was the highest among the five reported race/ethnicity categories. The annual rate was 6.1 percent for African-American students and 4.2 percent for Native American students. The rate for Asian students was 4.0 and for white students was 2.6 percent.The Hispanic dropout rate showed the largest change of the five reported race/ethnicity categories. The rate decreased for Hispanic students from 9.8 percent to 8.2 percent. The annual rate for African-American students decreased from 6.7 percent in 1998-99 to 6.1 percent in 1999-00. The rate for Asian students increased from the prior year, from 3.6 to 4.0 percent. The rate for white students increased slightly from 2.5 to 2.6 percent. The rate for Native American students increased from 4.0 to 4.2 percent. The rate for Native American students is susceptible to wide fluctuation due to a low number of Native American students enrolled in Massachusetts schools.
The projected four-year dropout rate for the Class of 2003 was highest for Hispanic students at 29 percent, followed by African-American students at 22 percent and Native American students at 16 percent. The rate was 15 percent for Asian students and ten percent for white students.
Vocational-Technical Schools
In 1999-00, the dropout rate for students enrolled in grades nine through twelve in the state's vocational-technical schools was 3.2 percent - a rate lower than the statewide rate. Of the vocational students who dropped out, 61 percent attended regional, county, or independent vocational-technical schools, and the remainder attended vocational-technical schools that were part of city and town school systems. The annual dropout rate of 5.5 percent for city/town vocational-
technical schools was significantly higher than the rate of 3.2 percent for regional, county and independent vocational-technical schools.The annual dropout rate for all vocational-technical schools increased from 2.9 percent in 1998-99 to 3.2 percent in 1999-00. The rate for regional vocational-technical schools increased from 2.4 to 2.6 percent, and the rate for city/town vocational-technical schools increased from 4.9 to 5.5 percent. Figure 3 illustrates the dropout rate for vocational schools compared to other schools for the 1999-00 school year. In grades nine and ten, the dropout rate for vocational schools is lower than the rate for all other schools. The opposite is true in grades eleven and twelve.
The projected four-year dropout rate for all vocational-technical schools was 13 percent. The projected four-year rate was 21 percent for city/town vocational-technical schools and 14 percent for regional, county and independent vocational-technical schools.
Charter Schools
During the 1999-00 school year, a total of 2,550 students in grades nine through twelve attended charter schools. Of these, 120 students dropped out, resulting in a dropout rate of 4.7 percent. Of the eighteen charter schools with any of the grades nine through twelve, six had no dropouts, six had a dropout rate between 0.1 and 3 percent, one had a rate of 4.9 percent, and three had a rate over ten percent.