What does this measure?

The number of students who dropped out of high school, as a percentage of their cohort. The cohort is the class of ninth-graders beginning high school together.

Why is this important?

High school dropouts face fewer and declining career opportunities than graduates and are more likely to end up unemployed, in prison or on public assistance. Since they tend to have lower earnings, dropouts also contribute less in local, state and federal taxes, and depend more on programs such as food stamps and Medicaid health insurance for the poor.

How is the Greater Capital Region performing?

About 8% of the region’s class of 2007 dropped out by the time their class was ready to graduate (after four years of high school), below the state rate of 11%. This was an improvement from 11% of the class of 2005.

As the classes were tracked into their fifth and sixth years, dropout rates tended to rise. The rate for region’s class of 2005 rose to 13% in the sixth year, while the state’s rate jumped to 18%.

Dropout rates tended to be a bit higher in Schoharie County. About 13% of the class of 2007 dropped out.

Notes about the data

Data for earlier years were not comparable because cohorts were not tracked in the same way.