News Article - Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Dropout Rate 2010-2011

The chart below was extracted from the Department of Elementary & Secondary Education Report released February 2012. Specifically the chart is labeled Table 11 in the report. Once again this year vocational technical and agricultural high schools fared very well in this important indicator of success. Our schools dropped an additional 0.2% in 2010-2011 down to 1.6% compared to the average statewide of 2.7%. Further the dropout rate for the 26 regional voc-techs and 3 county agricultural schools was 0.9%, the lowest of any group of schools in Massachusetts. This is a testimony to the continued effectiveness of the vocational technical delivery system in the Commonwealth.

Table 11: Annual Dropout Rates by School Type 2003-04 to 2010-11

		2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11
Regular/Comprehensive Academic Schools (309) 1		3.7%	3.7%	3.4%	3.7%	3.1%	3.0%	2.9%	2.8%
Vocational-Technical Total (39)		3.2%	3.0%	2.2%	2.6%	2.2%	1.9%	1.8%	1.6%
	City/Town (9)	7.2%	6.0%	4.7%	5.5%	5.0%	5.1%	5.0%	4.4%
	Regional/County/Independent (30)	2.1%	2.3%	1.5%	1.8%	1.4%	1.0%	0.9%	0.9%
Charter Schools (33)2		5.6%	6.1%	4.2%	6.4%	7.7%	3.8%	5.3%	4.2%
Schools Located in Cities 3 (171)		5.6%	5.8%	5.3%	5.7%	5.3%	4.8%	4.7%	4.5%
Schools Located in Towns (210)		2.0%	1.9%	1.6%	1.9%	1.6%	1.4%	1.4%	1.2%

1 Represents the number of schools in the category in the 2010-11 school year.

2 Represents all charter schools with enrollment in grades nine through twelve, including those whose primary mission is to serve at-risk students.

3 As defined by the incorporation status within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Last Updated: February 27, 2012