Wednesday, Mar. 10, 2010

Dropout losses improve

Wake County public school administrators are touting a reduction in the district's high school dropout rate.

School officials said last week that high schools reported a dropout rate of 3.47 percent for the 2008-09 academic year, the lowest rate since 2003-04.

Figures show that 1,430 students dropped out last school year, compared to 1,689 the previous year.

A school system news release also says that for the first time since 2000-01, dropout rates for each racial/ethnic group declined compared to the previous year.

The high school dropout rate for black students is the lowest since 2003-04.

For white students and for multi-racial students, it's the lowest since before 1999-00.

Wake also is emphasizing that the district's dropout rate is lower than the state's and those of most urban North Carolina districts.

For example, the high school dropout rate is 4.99 in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, and 4.27 statewide.

Of the state's urban districts, only Guilford County was lower than Wake, at 3.13.

The dropout rate figures come as the new school board majority and their supporters complain about the declining graduation rate.

The graduation rate and dropout rate are two different measures that can sometimes be contradictory.

The dropout rate is a state measure, while the graduation rate is a federally mandated measure as part of the No Child Left Behind law.