There has been a steady decline in the number of dropouts identified over the last seven years (Table 2.2). Improvements to school district student tracking systems contributed to the reduction in identified dropouts during the first few years of dropout data collection. The 1990-91 and 1992-93 reductions reflect, in part, enhancements to the statewide dropout data recovery system. In 1994-95, there was a significant decline in the number of dropouts reported from 1993-94. A portion of this reduction can be attributed to changes in the dropout definition, such as not including in the count seniors who fail the exit-level TAAS but pass all other graduation requirements.

Table 2.2 Texas Historical Dropout Rates by Ethnicity

Dropout Rates Among Student Groups

The dropout rate among certain ethnic minorities has been and remains significantly higher than the overall dropout rate. The annual dropout rate of Hispanic students for the 1994-95 school year is 2.7 percent (Table 2.1). African American students have a 2.3 percent annual dropout rate. Although these rates have declined from 1993-94, these groups continue to have the highest rates among all ethnic groups. All other student groups have a dropout rate that is lower than the state overall rate.

The longitudinal dropout rates for Hispanic and African American students are also higher than other groups. The longitudinal rate for Hispanic students is 15.0 percent and the rate for African American students is 12.8 percent, both of which are significantly higher than the state target of five percent. Despite the high dropout rates, the total number of dropouts has declined among all ethnic groups.

Minority students have represented a higher percentage of total dropouts since the 1987-88 school year (Table 2.2). Hispanic students have made up the greatest percentage of dropouts since 1988-89. For the first time this year the percent of total Hispanic dropouts decreased to 49.9 percent. This is attributed in part to the decision-making criteria for identifying dropouts. Students leaving Texas public schools to return to their home country were no longer counted as dropouts this year; and about 91 percent of students removed from the dropout count under this reason were Hispanic.

The male dropout rate of 2.0 percent is slightly higher than that of females (1.7 percent, Table 2.1).

Dropout Rates by Grade Level

In 1994-95 the highest dropout rate was found in the 9th grade, with 2.8 percent (Table 2.1). In 1993-94, the highest dropout rate occurred at the 12th grade, with 4.0 percent. This year, because of methodological changes (students dropping out after meeting all graduation requirements but failing exit-level TAAS are now removed from the dropout count), the dropout rate for 12th grade came down to 2.3 percent, representing the lowest rate for high school grades. The 9th grade dropout rate is the highest rate among Hispanics and African Americans. The highest dropout rates for Whites is found in the 12th grade.

While students in the 9th grade have consistently represented the highest percentage of total dropouts, students in the 12th grade have steadily increased as a percentage of total dropouts (Figure 2.1). In 1987-88, students in the 12th grade represented almost 12 percent of all dropouts, while in 1993-94 they represented almost 20 percent. In 1994-95, the percentage of dropouts who are in the 12th grade appears to be declining. However, recall that the recovery process eliminates students from the calculation of the dropout rate if they failed exit-level TAAS, but met all other graduation requirements. This recovery reason reduces the number of 12th grade dropouts reported by 25 percent. The greatest decline in number of dropouts continues to be in the 7th and 8th grades.

Figure 2.1 Texas Percentage of Total Dropouts by Grade Level

The projected grade level (cross-sectional) and longitudinal dropout rates continue to reflect higher dropout rates in the 9th and 11th grades. The current longitudinal rate of 10.6 percent increases slightly through 2000-01 (Table 2.3).

Characteristics of Dropouts

The percentage of Grade 7-12 enrollment and the percentage of total dropouts identified as economically disadvantaged have increased slightly from 1993-94. Although the 1994-95 dropout rate for economically disadvantaged students is slightly higher than the overall state rate, the dropout rate for that group continued to decrease from 1993-94 (Table 2.4).

Table 2.4
1994-95 Texas Dropout Characteristics

School districts are required to identify students in Grades 7 - 12 as at risk of school failure or of dropping out (TEC §29.081). A student is defined as at risk if the student:

1. was retained at least once in Grades 1- 6 and is still unable to master the current grade level;
2. is at least two years below grade level in reading or mathematics;
3. has failed at least two courses and is not expected to graduate within four years of ninth grade entrance;
4. has failed at least one section of the most recent Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) exam; or
5. is pregnant or is a parent.

As applied by school districts, the state and local criteria result in 40.5 percent of students in Grades 7-12 being identified as at risk. Yet, only 43.5 percent of 1994-95 dropouts were identified as at risk of dropping out during the year they dropped out of school. This is a decrease from the percentage identified in 1993-94.

In 1994-95, 76.4 percent of dropouts were overage for grade compared to 33.0 percent of all Grade 7-12 students (Table 2.4). The age level of dropouts for 1994-95 ranged from 11 to 22 years old, with over 75 percent of the dropouts leaving at age 16 or older.

In 1994-95, 11.8 percent of students enrolled in Grades 7-12 received special education services, but 14.2 percent of dropouts received special education services (Table 2.5). The percent of dropouts receiving special education services during the year they dropped out continues to increase each year.

Eight percent of dropouts received bilingual/ESL services in 1994-95 compared to over nine percent in 1993-94 (Table 2.5). The percentage of all students in bilingual/ESL programs remained about the same.

In 1994-95, 32.4 percent of Texas dropouts were enrolled in vocational education courses the year they dropped out of school (Table 2.5). Both the percentage of all students and all dropouts enrolled in vocational education courses increased since 1993-94.

Table 2.5
1994-95 Texas Dropout Characteristics

Reasons for Dropping Out

The reason for leaving school, as identified by the district, was reported on 58 percent of all dropouts. Of the 17,218 students who had a reason listed for leaving school, 58.6 percent listed a school-related concern, such as poor attendance or failing grades; 11.0 percent listed a job-related concern, such as finding a job or joining the military; 9.2 percent listed a family-related concern, such as pregnancy or marriage; and 21.2 percent listed other concerns, such as drug or alcohol abuse problems, homelessness, or enrollment in a non-state-approved alternative program (Table 2.6).

Districts were more likely to report job-related concerns for males than females. More than twice as many males than females were reported as leaving school to pursue a job. Females were more likely than males to leave for family-related concerns. Almost 10 percent of females were reported as leaving school to get married, compared to less than 2 percent of males.

Table 2.6
Texas Top Ten Reasons for Leaving School, as Reported by School Districts: 1994-95

District Characteristics

Texas school districts differ greatly based on characteristics such as community type, district size, student performance, and expenditures. The dropout rates of schools among these categories differ as well.

The highest dropout rates are found in school districts located in urban areas, the lowest in rural and nonmetropolitan fast growing areas. Texas student information shows that both minority students and economically disadvantaged students are found in greater numbers in the urban areas, and these students are already known to drop out of public schools at higher rates than their nonminority and wealthier peers. Districts with the largest enrollments are also more concentrated in urban areas, again coinciding with higher dropout rates. The average dropout rate tends to decrease as district size decreases. As the percentage of students passing all TAAS tests increases, the dropout rate decreases.

The resources of school districts and campuses have been considered a factor in the ability to supply needed support services for students at risk of dropping out of school. School districts with average and below average operating costs per pupil serve a large proportion of the state's total enrollment and, not surprisingly, a similarly large percentage of the total dropouts. School districts with the highest operating costs per pupil have the lowest dropout rate; however, districts with the lowest operating costs have the second lowest dropout rate.

Recommendations of the 1997-99 State Plan to Reduce the Dropout Rate