The Dropout Crisis

 

The reality is, there are more youth who drop out each year in America than the entire population of Rhode Island. Youth who dropout total 1.2 million annually.
Civic Enterprises and Peter D. Hart Associates (2009) On the Front Lines: Perspectives of Principals and Teachers on the High School Dropout Crisis

THE COST OF IGNORING THE DROPOUT CRISIS IN THE U.S. WILL BE SIGNIFICANT.

“Failure of federal policy to address the needs of high schools will lead to an economic crisis that will be greater than the combined cost of bailing out banks, financial institutions, the auto industry, and AIG.”

Those without a full high school education are more likely to struggle to find or hold a job…
The youth who dropped out from the class of 2008 alone
will cost the United States over $319 billion in lost wages.

Those without a job will rely on the government for healthcare…
State savings would exceed $17 billion in insurance bills if youth
who left school without their diplomas returned to earn their degree.

And they will be more likely to engage in criminal activities…
If we graduated 5% more of our male students and sent them to
college, our country would save $8 billion annually in crime-related costs.

Above statistics taken from the Alliance for Excellent Education (2008)

Recovering a dropout is a worthwhile investment. In fact, for every student who graduates instead of dropping out, the United States government saves $251,000.
-National Alternative Education Association (2009)