S.C. high school dropout rates continue to improve; Beaufort area worsens

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In an annual report released by the South Carolina Department of Education, the number of teens dropping out of high school continued to fall — though by a slight margin, however Beaufort County rates increased.

During the 2009-10 school year 2.9% of students dropped out, in 2010-11 2.8% dropped out, a 0.1% point improvement. 

During the two years prior the rate fell by 0.5% points consecutively. 

The drop was seen across gender and race groups, with only non-white females holding steady at 2.5%. And the highest dropout categories were students with disabilities (4.4%), Hispanic students (3.7%), and economically disadvantaged students (3.3%).

Locally the dropout rate was mixed:

  • Beaufort: 2.3%, was 1.7%
  • Jasper: 1.8%, was 2.1%

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