Dropout Factories

Did you attend a high school dropout factory in the U.S?

What is a Dropout Factory?

A mythical high school has a freshman class of 100.  In their fourth year, as seniors, if 40 or more of the class have already “left the school”, the high school is a dropout factory.  Stated another way, if a senior class has 60 % or less of its starting freshmen class, its a dropout factory.

John Hopkins University analyzed U.S. high school dropout on behalf of the Associated Press around 2006 using U.S. Education Department data.  Robert Balfanz of John Hopkins University created the phrase dropout factory.  Read more about the John Hopkins dropout study.

A U.S. Map of High School Dropout Factories

This study is now approximately 4-5 years old (perhaps assembled about 2006 at the earliest).  Here’s the interactive dropout factories map if you want to look up your own state or high school.

Sadly, here are the Top 3 U.S. Dropout Factories

On a sheer volume basis, I believe the three cities with the biggest dropout factories are New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.  Huge cities with huge dropout rates.  But Houston’s dropout problem may be just as big as Chicago’s (Houston is slightly smaller than Chicago in population but has a worse dropout rate) while Detroit’s dropout rate is almost 80%.

If you’re a high school dropout, the phrase dropout factory is very real to you, not simply a statistic or a phrase.

New York City, NY

Some people believe that 20% of all New York City residents are high school dropouts.  The NYC Department of Education wrote March 3, 2010 that the New York City dropout rate  as of 2009 was only 37%.

The state of New York on its website, lists both GED test centers and GED preparation centers.  For help with your New York City GED remember that you can also search for specific GED help by borough by Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island.  If you’re a New York City dropout, visit New York City GED.

Los Angeles, CA

In researching GED help for high school dropouts in Los Angeles using Google on the Internet, I realized information was a bit harder to find then then when researching New York City GED information.  The state of New York listed both GED test centers and GED preparation centers, the state of California did not.  Also, considering LA’s large Spanish speaking population, I was a bit surprised not to easily find information for Spanish speaking people wishing to take the GED.

The LA Times cited a Los Angeles dropout rate of 1 in 3 students in 2008.  There’s help for you at Los Angeles GED.

But I was able to assemble my best advice for high school dropouts in Los Angeles, CA.  Please visit Los Angeles GED for more information.

Chicago, IL

Chicago is my home town and according to the Chicago Tribune in 2006, the Chicago dropout rate is 47.8%.  From my other research on the Internet and in reading local Chicago newspapers, I don’t think the Chicago high school graduation rate has improved in 4 years.

Please visit Chicago GED for more  information.

Help for NYC, Los Angeles, and Chicago Dropouts?

I wish I had specific help for all high school dropouts, throughout the U.S. and Canada.  But for now, I only have specific GED help for New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.  Best wishes in overcoming your obstacles and passing the GED test.