Nevada dropout figures are still falling

Monday, March 4, 2002 | 10:54 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The percentage of students dropping out of high school in Nevada fell to 5 percent in 2000-2001, the lowest rate in 13 years, state school officials said.

Statewide, 4,616 students left school, and in Clark County, 3,448 students dropped out, a 5.7 percentage, the state Department of Education said.

The numbers fell from 6.1 percent in 1999-2000 and from 7.8 percent in 1998-1999.

Jack McLaughlin, state superintendent of public instruction, who released a report with the numbers late last week, praised the schools for keeping down the dropout rate.

"Keeping our youth in school is critical because without a high school diploma young adults' opportunities are limited in the 21st century," McLaughlin said.

Clark County's dropout rate has been declining steadily since 1998, when it was 9 percent, said Augustin Orci, the Clark County School District's deputy superintendent. Orci credited the district's success on more alternative programs for students who might otherwise leave school entirely, and additional classes for adults seeking their Graduate Equivalency Diploma.

"We're doing a better job tracking what happens to kids when they leave school, and figuring out what it takes to bring them back," Orci said this morning.

The report by the state Department of Education said the Hispanic dropout rate was 7.9 percent and black students left school at a rate of 6.3 percent. American Indian students dropped out at a 4.5 percent and 4.3 percent of the Asian students left. The rate for white students was 3.9 percent.

Male students dropped out more frequently than females. The department said the male rate was 5.5 percent compared to the females at 4.5 percent.

Orci said Las Vegas, as a 24-hour town, faces a unique problem when it comes to keeping high schoolers in class. The ease with which teenagers can find entry-level jobs in the hospitality industry is a definite lure, Orci said.

"Kids mistakenly believe they don't need a diploma to make good money, and if you're single and your biggest long-range goal is buying a car, maybe you can get by for a while," Orci said. "But when you get married and start a family, you're going to run into trouble."