High School Dropout Essay

Register to read the introduction… For example, boys usually do not receive the top grades in school. On average, boys are almost two years behind girls in reading ability and 70% of failing grades are given to boys. It has been shown that students who are low performing readers are most at risk for dropping out of school. Another example is that girls outnumber the boys when graduating from high school. Boys make up the majority of high school drop outs. In some cities the dropout rate for boys is as high as 80%. High school drop outs are more likely to be unemployed, earn lower wages, are more likely single parents, have children at younger ages, and have higher rates of public assistance. …show more content…
The majority of National Merit scholarships and college academic scholarships are awarded to girls. This leads to more girls attending college right after high school. Currently only 40% of college students are young men. Research shows that students who graduate from high school but do not go on to college generally earn slightly better than high-school dropouts.
Boys are less emotionally connected to school than girls. In addition to the higher number of male dropouts, boys in high school are more likely to report not liking school, and are greatly outnumbered by girls in almost every extracurricular activity except sports, which may suggest to some that many boys are highly engaged in their high school years. Some researchers believe that the fact that most teachers are women, who often lack training about special educational needs of boys, contributes significantly to boys’ disengagement (Piechura-Couture, Heins, & Tichenor,