States with the highest status dropout rates, 2013-17

Louisiana has the highest percentage of 16- to 24-year-olds not enrolled in school and without a high school diploma.

The status dropout rate in the United States—the percentage of 16- to 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in school and do not have a high school diploma or alternative credential—was 5.4% in 2017, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

A NCES report, "Trends in High School Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States: 2019," found that Louisiana had the highest average dropout rate from 2013-17: 9.6%. The lowest average status dropout rate over those years was 3.8% in Massachusetts.

Here are the 10 states with the highest average status dropout rate from 2013-17:

State            Status dropout rate, 2013-17

Louisiana        9.6%
Nevada            9.0%
New Mexico    8.6%
Arizona            8.5%
Oklahoma        8.1%
Mississippi      7.5%
Indiana             7.5%
Alabama          7.4%
Georgia            7.3%
Texas               7.1%



About the Author

Mike Kennedy

Senior Editor

Mike Kennedy has been writing about education for American School & University since 1999. He also has reported on schools and other topics for The Chicago Tribune, The Kansas City Star, The Kansas City Times and City News Bureau of Chicago. He is a graduate of Michigan State University.

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