High School Dropout Rate Today's graduation expectations for high school students are different than in the past. It is not uncommon to hear of a student who did not graduate. As shown in Table 1, 97 Stanly County students dropped out of school in the 2011-2012 school year (“Grade 7-13 Dropout Counts and Rates (pdf.62kb)”). Last school year, according to the 2011-2012 Consolidated Data Report, 3.01 percent of North Carolina high school students dropped out of school, making the total number of students who dropped out of high school in the year 2012 is 13,488. Also note that the top five reasons NC students drop out of school are: 1. Attendance, 2. Enrolled in a Community College, 3. Unknown, 4. Transferred, School Status Unknown, 5. Lack of Commitment. (“School Dropout Prevention and Intervention”) This number is very high considering there are only five mainline high schools in the Stanly County district. This is why I think it is important to do something to reduce the dropout rate in Stanly County. Table 1 County Name Dropout Rates in Grades 7-13 (2011-2012) Stanly County After high school and do not earn a diploma they face more problems later in life. Some difficulties they may face are unemployment, poor health, drug and alcohol abuse, and living in poverty. High school students who drop out before graduating are more likely to drink, smoke, use illegal drugs, commit crimes and become teenage parents. In the states of North Carolina alone, approximately 53 teens are known to become pregnant every day, North Carolina is said to have the ninth highest rate of teen pregnancies… middle of paper… Education Requirements” Nd Web K-12 Curriculum and Instruction/NC Standard Course of Study March 21, 2014"Economic Press Release" April 17, 2013 Web Bureau of Labor Statistics March 21, 2014"Dropout Prevention and Intervention" Nd Web Public Schools of North Carolina March 21, 2014" North Carolina High School Dropout Rates” Nd Web an Econometric Analysis March 22, 2014 “National Center of Education Statistics” November 14, 2013 Web Virginia Performs March 22, 2014 “The NSDUH Report” February 12, 2013 Web Substance Use Among 12th Grade Aged youth by Dropout Status March 22, 2014"The Chronicle" January 7, 2014 Web the high costs of a GED diploma March 22, 2014"NC Policy Watch" April 28, 2008 Web News and commentary on public policy in NC March 22, 2014"Did you know" Nd Web By 2018 , 59% of jobs in NC will require at least some education beyond high school