High School Drop Out Rates

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.

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