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2021 - 2022 SY State Dropout Data

Introduction

Since 1971, the South Carolina Department of Education has collected and analyzed data on school dropouts. The Report on Student Dropout Rates provides an assessment of the progress made by state and local school districts in their effort to reduce the number of school dropouts and increase the graduation rate. The annual data collection process employed in South Carolina reports students who leave school during a twelve-month period, including those who leave over the summer. The process allows those who re-enroll during the collection period and remain in school to be excluded from the count. The 2021-22 dropout report consists of nine tables. Table 1 contains a comparison of the total number of students enrolled in grades nine through twelve. This comparison, called an event rate, shows the proportion of students who drop out in one year. The resulting percentage may be compared yearly as an indicator of progress. Tables 2 through 9 compare the number of dropouts with the number of students enrolled by ethnicity and gender categories in grades nine through twelve.

Adult Education

During the 2021-22 school year, more than 7183 students between the ages of seventeen and twenty-one were enrolled in adult education programs in South Carolina. In that year 994 of these students earned General Educational Development diplomas and 594 students earned high school diplomas.

Data Comparison

Dropout Rate for Grades 9-12

  • From 2020-21 to 2021-22, the dropout rate for grades 9 through 12 declined in()of the 84 districts and special schools.
  • The state dropout rate of 2.4 percent remain the same during the 2021-22 academic year.




    • School year DropoutRate Percent
    2018-2019 2.2
    2019-2020 1.7
    2020-2021 2.4
    2021-2022 2.4

    Dropout Percentages by Ethnicity and Gender

  • From 2020-21 to 2021-22, the dropout rate for nonwhite females increased.
  • Nonwhite males continue to dropout at the highest rate.




    • School Year Demographic Type DropoutRate Percent
    2018-2019 Non-white Female 1.8
    2019-2020 Non-white Female 1.5
    2020-2021 Non-white Female 1.9
    2021-2022 Non-white Female 2.1
    2018-2019 Non-white Male 3.1
    2019-2020 Non-white Male 2.6
    2020-2021 Non-white Male 3.4
    2021-2022 Non-white Male 3.3
    2018-2019 White Female 1.5
    2019-2020 White Female 1.1
    2020-2021 White Female 1.8
    2021-2022 White Female 1.6
    2018-2019 White Male 2.2
    2019-2020 White Male 1.7
    2020-2021 White Male 2.6
    2021-2022 White Male 2.4

    Dropouts by Gender and by Ethnicity

  • In 2021-22, the dropout rate for males was 2.9 percent compared to 1.9 percent for females.
  • In 2021-22, the dropout rate for nonwhites was 2.7 percent compared to 2.2 percent for whites.



    • School Year Demographic Type DropoutRate Percent
    2020-2021 Female 1.9
    2020-2021 Male 3
    2020-2021 Non-white 2.7
    2020-2021 White 2.2
    2021-2022 Female 1.9
    2021-2022 Male 2.9
    2021-2022 Non-white 2.7
    2021-2022 White 2

    Dropouts by Grade

  • In 2021-22, approximately 21 percent of all dropouts occurred in the ninth grade.
  • Cumulatively in 2021-22, 45 percent of the dropouts had occurred by the tenth-grade year.



    • School Year School Grade Number of Dropout Students DropoutRate Percent
    2021-2022 9 1516 2.1
    2021-2022 10 1591 2.5
    2021-2022 11 1436 2.7
    2021-2022 12 1169 2.3

    South Carolina Dropouts 2021 - 2022

    Dropouts by Group Dropouts Enrollment Dropouts Rate
    All Students 5712 240340 2.4
    Male 3511 121921 2.9
    Female 2201 118418 1.9
    American Indian or Alaska Native 37 706 5.2
    Asian 18 4174 0.4
    Blacks, Non-Hispanic 2035 76684 2.7
    Hispanic 908 30007 3
    Mixed Race 334 11043 3
    White, Non-Hispanic 2363 117426 2
    Economically Disadvantaged 4312 137188 3.1
    Homeless 170 2105 8.1
    Students with Disabilties 1316 30362 4.3