Why do Students Drop Out of School?

Some American high schools have a dropout rate of up to 50%. There are many reasons for students leaving school :

• For two thirds of the dropouts motivation is the problem. They can't just work hard enough.
• Almost half of them said that they had missed so many classes that they could not catch up any more.
• Many said that they were not prepared well enough in their earlier school.
• For a third of them getting a job was more important than finishing school.

High school dropouts have more problems in society and in their future lives.  They are more likely to beunemployed or live in poverty. There is also a big difference in income if you compare high school dropoutswith graduates. According to data by the US Census bureau Americans with a bachelor's degree earn about  $ 50,000 , those with a high school diploma about  $28,000 and dropouts only about $ 20,000.

Many pupils do not understand the implications of dropping out of school. They often demand better teachers, more lessons to catch up in subjects and more help with learning problems. Some schools haveadopted to this situation. They offer evening classes or allow students to come back at a later age.