Oregon's Dropout Rate Continues to Climb

Even with the increases in the Oregon’s dropout rate, it continues to be significantly lower than the very high dropout rates of the mid-1990’s.

Salem-News.com

(SALEM, Ore. ) - State Schools Superintendent Susan Castillo announced today that Oregon’s statewide dropout rate for the 2006-07 school year was 4.4%, up slightly from last year’s 4.1%.

Oregon defines a dropout as a student in grades 9-12 who withdraws from school without receiving a high school diploma, GED, modified diploma, or transferring to another school.

“We all know that that there is no way a student can expect to be successful in the future if they do not graduate from high school today,” Castillo said. “It is clear from today’s report that parents, schools, communities, and we at the state level need to continue our efforts to reduce dropout rates and increase graduation rates. Every student is different and has different reasons for deciding to drop out, so we need to urgently pursue a variety of strategies now to help them stay in school longer – including school-based programs and partnerships with families and communities.”

Dropout rates increased for all subgroups except Hispanic students:

• Asian 3.2%
• Native American 7.0%
• African American 7.4%
• Hispanic 7.9%
• White 3.6%
• Total 4.4%

Even with the increases in the Oregon’s dropout rate, it continues to be significantly lower than the very high dropout rates of the mid-1990’s. A decade ago, the statewide dropout rate stood at 7%, and the Hispanic rate was about 18%. The African American rate was nearly 12% and the Native American rate about 10%.

“The most important thing we can do is to identify those students most likely to drop out as early as possible, and schools and communities across the state are doing great work in this area,” Castillo said. “I want to thank the many volunteers, teachers and administrators who work to reach struggling students at home, in school, in the workplace. I want to especially commend Portland Public Schools and the Portland Schools Foundation for their great work with Connected by 25 around the transition from 8th grade to high school. Providing services and assistance to middle school students is so important in order to prepare them for a smooth transition to 9th grade. If we can get students off to a solid start in high school, they are more likely stay in school and graduate.”

“Another initiative that will help reduce the dropout rate and increase the graduation rate is the Oregon high school diploma. The requirements are tied directly to student interest and aspiration in the personal plan and profile, making high school more relevant. Students see that staying in school and working hard to finish has meaning in their future. The new requirements also allow more flexibility in how students work through high school. In addition, they have more opportunity to explore career options that will help them develop a vision and pathway for their future,” Castillo said.

“Finally, I am working with our federal delegation to continue the funding for Career and Technical Education programs and federal Perkins dollars. These are important resources for those students who want and need a more practical application of learning, such as in carpentry, automotive technology, electronics, and other courses.”

“Historically, Oregon’s dropout rate has changed with ups and downs in the economy. As the economy improved and the unemployment rate went down, the dropout rate went up. Often, a student makes the decision to drop out because of the availability of jobs, especially when the economy is prospering as it was in 2006,” Castillo said. “Some factors contributing to the dropout rate are outside of our control.”

Graduation Rate

The 2006-07 graduation rate decreased slightly to 80.8%, down from last year’s 81.7%. The graduation rate for Hispanic and Native American students rose slightly, while graduation rates for the other student groups all decreased.

• Asian 86.7%
• Native American 70.1%
• African American 67.2%
• Hispanic 63.7%
• White 84.2%
• Total 80.8%

“I want to thank the Governor and the Oregon Legislature for their increased funding of the Oregon Opportunity Grant, adding $70 million to make college education affordable for more students. This investment is so important because it shows students that the state is behind them. Financial assistance for college provides a powerful incentive to keep students in school and help them see the value of graduation,” Castillo said.

In Salem-Keizer, the rates were a mixture of ups and downs among our six high schools. The district overall decreased the number of dropouts from 7.4% in 2005-06 to 7.3% in 2006-07.

School-by-school rates are available online at: http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=1

Oregon Department of Education