Tuesday, April 20, 2004

SPOTLIGHT: High school dropouts

Quitting without a diploma

Young teenagers who began high school with weaker literacy skills were more likely to drop out before they reached Grade 12, according to a new study.

In May 2000, more than 345,000 students aged 15 were in school, the majority in Grade 10. By December 2001, an estimated 9,000 (3%) had left high school without a diploma. A further 49,000 or 14% had graduated, while 288,000, or 83%, were taking classes.

On average, dropouts were performing at one full level in reading proficiency below those who stayed in high school or graduated. One full level indicates a substantive difference in the nature of reading literacy tasks that students can perform.

In addition, dropouts reported substantially lower marks, lived in homes with lower incomes, and were more likely to have parents with low expectations for their success.

One-third of dropouts reported an overall mark of less than 59, four times the proportion of other students. Still, many dropouts said they were doing well enough to graduate, as more than one-third reported marks of 70 or higher.

No significant gender gap

The study found no significant gender gap: 3% of boys and 2% of girls had left school. This ran counter to studies of older youth that have shown much higher dropout rates for boys than girls. It is too early to say if these low rates by the age of 17 are a sign of a significant decline in dropout rates, or simply a low likelihood of dropping out at such a young age.

About 5% of 17-year-old students in Quebec had left school, the highest proportion among the provinces. This may reflect the fact that the last grade level of high school for many students in Quebec occurred one year prior to that of students in other provinces.

Dropouts were asked their main reason for leaving. Girls were much more likely to cite personal or family reasons, including health reasons, pregnancy, caring for own child, and problems at home. Boys more often reported work-related factors; they wanted to, or had to, work.

Parental expectations low

A higher proportion of future dropouts lived in households with lower total average incomes, or had parents who were less likely to have completed some form of postsecondary education.

Dropouts also had lower levels of self-esteem, had less confidence in their ability to achieve and were less likely to feel a sense of control over situations than were others.

Still, four out of every five future dropouts believed that getting a good job later in life depended on their success in school.

For more information, contact Client Services (613-951-7608), Centre for Education Statistics.

© 2004, Statistics Canada.