This is the fraction of young individuals between the ages of 16 and 24 who have not obtained a high school certificate or GED and aren’t registered in school. Without that diploma, individuals are more likely to follow a path that leads to low-paying jobs and the probable continuation of a cycle of poverty, which creates lots of difficulties for their families, communities, and neighborhoods.

Some common reasons behind high dropout rates include:

Expensive tuition fee: The skyrocketing tuition fees increase student debts, pushing students from underprivileged backgrounds to suffer further.

Unhappy with the school: Getting overloaded with the coursework, nagging roommates, etc., are common reasons many students drop out of school. Unhappiness can also arise out of the frustration that develops out of the feeling that despite paying a high amount of fees, the school fails to keep students happy. Hopelessness arises when they feel that they aren’t up to the job ahead. This forces students to leave school and return to the comfort of their homes.

Choosing the wrong course: Figuring out the right course of study can be difficult for many students. It’s unfair to commit to a course only to discover later that it isn’t what students expected.

An imbalance between study and work: The conflict of interest between study, home, and a job can trigger a breach in education. This scene is common among state universities and community colleges. Students join part-time jobs to back up their education, which may create an imbalance between work and study. Being unable to manage the stress, students drop out.

Fortunately, there’re steps that can be taken to reduce dropout rates. Some important ones include:

·         Parent involvement declines as children get older and become independent. But parents’ ongoing engagement, from regular communication with teachers to familiarity with their children’s courses, schedules, and progress toward graduation, plays a crucial role in students’ success and prevents them from dropping out of school.

·         A trusted adult or concerned teacher could make the difference between a student staying in the school or dropping out. That’s why secondary schools implement advisories that meet during the school day and offer a structured way of promoting those supporting relationships to grow and prosper.

·         Disengagement and boredom are two major reasons students stop attending class and drop out of school. Instruction that takes students into the wider community offers opportunities for all students, particularly experiential learners, to connect to academics in a deeper and more powerful way that helps to reduce dropout rates.