The high school dropout rate in Dallas County continues to climb.
According to Healthy North Texas, 10% of Dallas County students will drop out of high school before graduating.
The rising number of students opting to leave school before completing their senior year in high school “lack the basic skills required to function in an increasingly tough job market and society. Adults with limited education levels are more likely to be unemployed, on government assistance, or involved in crime,” states a Healthy North Texas report from 2019.
Due to COVID-19 and the lack of a traditional school year, no 2020 report was completed.
Compared to other Texas counties, Dallas County ranks the worst of all Texas counties. Furthermore, statewide the dropout rate is 1.9%, so Dallas County’s 10% puts the county much further below the state average.
The Dallas Independent School District fared better than the state average, but there is still room for alarm. As of the 2019-2020 school year, Dallas ISD “had 153,784 students. 65.2% of students were considered at risk of dropping out of school.”
During the 2018-2019 school year, the dropout rate for students in grades 9-12 for Dallas ISD was 3.3%. The Texas average dropout rate for the same time was 1.1%.
Dropout rates vary by race and ethnicity. Students who identify as Pacific Islanders have a dropout rate of 6.8%, followed by American Indians and Asians with 4.5% each. African American students have a 3.5% dropout rate in Dallas ISD, while Hispanic students have a 3.2% dropout rate.
