High School dropout rate falls in state

Monday, May 24, 1999 | 11:37 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Nevada's high school dropout rate declined slightly to 9.8 percent for 1997-98, but Clark County recorded its worst mark since record-keeping began 10 years ago.

The state Department of Education on Saturday released its 10th annual study that showed 7,866 Nevada students in ninth through 12th grade left school for a variety of reasons. The rate was one-tenth of a percentage point lower than the previous year.

The report said the rate in Clark County rose from 11.7 percent in 1996-97 to 11.8 percent in 1997-98, the highest in the state.

Clark County School Superintendent Brian Cram could not be reached for comment on the new numbers. Last week he said, after another study had revealed that Nevada leads the nation in high school dropout rates, that there are many reasons for the high rates in the Las Vegas Valley.

The top reasons are job opportunities in Las Vegas and transient families, he said.

District spokesman Ray Willis, noting that he has not yet seen the latest figures, said the school district competes with the local job market for students.

"Jobs are so plentiful," he said. "A person doesn't need a high school diploma to get a job, so there is a lure of being able to work and earn a liveable wage before getting a high school diploma. That puts us in extreme competition."

Last week a national report showed Nevada's high school dropout rate at 17 percent in 1996 among students between ages 16 and 19. That was the worst in the nation, where the average was 10 percent.

The "Kids Count Data Book: State Profiles of Child Well-Being" said Nevada's rate has increased 4 percentage points since 1985.

The state report, which looked at numbers from the 1997-98 school year, showed Nye County had the second highest dropout rate with 11 percent of the students leaving school.

Nine school districts showed declines in the state report: Carson City and Churchill, Humboldt, Lander, Mineral, Pershing, Storey, Washoe and White Pine counties.

"Although the statewide dropout rate decreased only slightly from the previous school year, I am encouraged by the number of districts that have experienced declines," David Sheffield, president of the state Board of Education said.

The state study said 42.4 percent of the students who withdrew did so at the request of their parents or by their own choice.

The second largest percentage of dropouts, 29.2 percent, came from students who failed to return to their school at the start of the year and did not give an explanation for the absence.

Another 12.7 percent were absent for 10 consecutive days without their location being known; 14.6 percent were withdrawn at request of the school; and 1.1 percent were in jail or prison.

The state's dropout rate was highest among seniors at 18.5 percent; juniors at 12.7 percent; sophomores at 6.5 percent and freshmen at 4 percent.

Seniors in Clark County left school at a rate of 22.1 percent; juniors at 15.3 percent; 10th graders at 7.9 percent and 9th graders at 4.8 percent.

The department said Nevada male students left school at a rate of 10.6 percent compared with female students at 9.1 percent.

Most ethnic groups experienced a decline in the dropout rate statewide. Rates for Hispanic students fell from 15.7 percent to 14.9 percent, the rate for American Indians dropped from 12.6 percent to 11.9 percent and the rate for Asians declined from 8.3 percent to 7.7 percent.

Only blacks experienced a rise in the dropout rate, going from 12.3 percent to 12.8 percent. The rate for whites continued at 8.2 percent.

The lowest overall dropout rates were registered at Pershing County with 1.2 percent; Lincoln County at 1.6 percent and Humboldt at 2.7 percent.

Washoe County, the second largest district in the state, reported 7.1 percent of its students left school, down from 8.5 percent in the previous year.