Wisconsin's Dropout Rate is Nation's Lowest

Wisconsin's 1997-1998 high school dropout rate was tied for the lowest in the nation, according to a new report released.

National Center for Education Statistics figures show Wisconsin's dropout rate was 2.8%, tied with North Dakota.

The NCES report details nationally aggregated statistics for 1999 and state by-state figures for 1997-1998. The NCES defines dropout rates as the proportion of youth ages 15 through 24 who dropped out of grades 10-12 in the preceding 12 months.

Wisconsin's 1997-1998 high school completion rate was also among the highest in the nation, at 90.6%.

"Once again Wisconsin is leading the nation," WEAC President Terry Craney said. "These statistics are more proof that Wisconsin's public schools are great schools."

Craney said dropout and high school completion rates are important indicators of student and school success.

"Our schools are succeeding in keeping children in school and giving them a top-notch education," he said. "Wisconsin has quality schools that, combined with the involvement and support of the public and elected officials, are working to ensure that every kid attends a great school."

The NCES report found several national trends over the last decade:

• Although there have been a number of year-to-year fluctuations in the dropout rate over the past 28 years, there has been a gradual pattern of decline that amounts to an average annual percentage change of 0.1 percentage points per year.
• The goal of reducing the dropout rate is to increase the percentage of young adults who complete a high school education. Despite the increased importance of a high school education, the high school completion rate has shown limited gains over the last quarter of a century and has been stable throughout most of the 1990s.
• Over the last 10 years, the percentage of young adults completing high school has been relatively stable for whites and blacks. During the same period, the percentage completing high school through an alternative to a regular diploma has increased, with 1999 alternative completion rates of about 9% to 11% for white, black, and Hispanic young adults.
• The emphasis in recent years on decreasing dropout rates as well as revising standards and high school graduation requirements may have translated into increased use of alternative methods of high school completion, rather than an overall decrease in dropout rates and an increase in the proportion of young adults with high school credentials.

Posted November 21, 2000