Reasons Why Students Shouldn’t Drop out of School

Reasons Why Students Shouldn't Drop out of School

Wallace Williams, Contributor

In the U.S, the number of high school students dropping out are constantly increasing.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the status dropout rate decreased from 12.1% in 1990 to 6.5% in 2014. High school students living in low income houses and neighborhoods are at a greater risk of dropping out than those who may live in middle to high income houses neighborhoods.

Students who earned a high school diploma tend to live  a better financial life than those who did not complete school to obtain one. Data taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2016 shows that high school graduates earn a median of $678 a week while high school dropouts can earn a median of $306 per week.

Without a high school diploma, students have a difficult time finding a good paying job in order to support themselves. The average high school dropout could make $135,000, while high school graduates and college graduates could make $400,00 to $600,000. According to the U.S Census, high school dropouts are five times more likely to end up facing poverty.