Information Services - Statistical Reports
Dropout Rates 2000 - 2001
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 2000-01 dropout rate for eleventh-graders was 4.0 percent, followed by 3.5 percent for tenth-graders, 3.3 percent for ninth graders and 3.1 percent for 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 2000-01 dropout rate for males, 4.1 percent, was higher than for females, 2.8 percent.
The dropout rate for males increased slightly from 4.0 percent the prior year. The rate for females decreased slightly from 2.9 percent the previous year.
Race/Ethnicity
Consistent with previous years, the dropout rates in 2000-01 varied according to race/ethnicity. As in the prior four years, the rate of 8.0 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 3.2 percent for Native American students. The rate for Asian students was 3.9 percent and for white students was 2.6 percent.
The Native American dropout rate showed the largest change of the five reported race/ethnicity categories. The rate decreased for Native American students from 4.2 percent to 3.2 percent. However, 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 annual rate for Hispanic students decreased from 8.2 percent in 1999-2000 to 8.0 percent in 2000-01. The rate for Asian students decreased from the prior year, from 4.0 to 3.9 percent. The rate for white students and African-American students remained the same from the prior year.
The projected four-year dropout rate for the Class of 2004 was highest for Hispanic students at 28 percent, followed by African-American students at 22 percent and Asian students at 15 percent. The rate was 12 percent for Native American students and ten percent for white students.
Vocational-Technical Schools
In 2000-01, the dropout rate for students enrolled in grades nine through twelve in the state's vocational-technical schools was 3.3 percent - a rate lower than the statewide rate. The annual dropout rate of 6.8 percent for city/town vocational-technical schools was significantly higher than the rate of 2.1 percent for regional, county and independent vocational-technical schools.
The annual dropout rate for all vocational-technical schools increased slightly from 3.2 percent in 1999-00 to 3.3 percent in 2000-01. The rate for regional vocational-technical schools decreased from 2.6 to 2.1 percent, while the rate for city/town vocational-technical schools increased from 5.5 to 6.8 percent.
The projected four-year dropout rate for all vocational-technical schools was 13 percent. The projected four-year rate was 24 percent for city/town vocational-technical schools and 8 percent for regional, county and independent vocational-technical schools.
Charter Schools
During the 2000-01 school year, a total of 5,525 students in grades nine through twelve attended charter schools. Of these, 174 students dropped out, resulting in a dropout rate of 3.1 percent. Of the nineteen charter schools with any of the grades nine through twelve, eight had no dropouts, one had a dropout rate less than one percent, five had a rate of between 1 and 5 percent, two schools were between 5 and 10 percent, and three charter schools had a dropout rate of over ten percent.