Only about 3 out of 4 high school students graduate in the US every year (75%). That is shocking. I watched a documentary last night on PBS channel where the question was asked ‘What does it take to save a student?’. Well, sometimes it takes a lot, and too many times it just cannot be done despite the best efforts of special counselors and assistants at schools. Of the 4 students followed in the PBS documentary, one’s mom was in jail, one was facing deportation, another had a 2-yr old baby and a fourth one only wanted to play football and not go to class.
Here are some numbers from a study done at Northeastern University some years ago.
The Lifetime Net Fiscal Contributions of Adults 18 to 64 Years Old, U.S., 2007
Over their working lives, the average high school dropout will have a negative net fiscal contribution to society of nearly -$5,200 while the average high school graduate generates a positive lifetime net fiscal contribution of $287,000. The average high school dropout will cost taxpayers over $292,000 in lower tax revenues, higher cash and in-kind transfer costs, and imposed incarceration costs relative to an average high school graduate. Adult dropouts in the U.S. in recent years have been a major fiscal burden to the rest of society. Given the current and projected deficits of the federal government, the fiscal burden of supporting dropouts and their families is no longer sustainable.
