High School Dropout Rates, 1980-2007
| Year | Percent |
| 1980 | 14.1 |
| 1985 | 12.6 |
| 1990 | 12.1 |
| 1995 | 12.0 |
| 2000 | 10.9 |
| 2001 | 10.7 |
| 2002 | 10.5 |
| 2003 | 9.9 |
| 2004 | 10.3 |
| 2005 | 9.4 |
| 2006 | 9.3 |
| 2007 | 8.7 |
High School Drop Out Rates
By Denise Witmer, About.com Guide
In the United States, the Department of Education defines a high school dropout as an adolescent who has not enrolled in school and has not earned a high school credential . The dropout rate in the United States has been on the decline since 1980. The latest from the U.S. Department of Education study, the Condition of Education 2009, shows that this decline is continuing.
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