Did you know

There were over 18,000 students dropping out of Colorado schools within the 2005-2006 school year. (Colorado Department of Education website)

Across Colorado, 61 percent of the students who entered the 9th grade in the 1999-2000 school year graduated in 2003. High school graduation rates among minorities are dismal. While the graduation rate for white students was 68 percent in 2003, it was 44 percent for black students and 42 percent for Hispanic students.  (Colorado Children’s Campaign, The Wager of a Lifetime: High School Graduation Rates in Colorado, August 2004)

The cost of not educating our young people is sizeable. Students who do not graduate from high school cost taxpayers money through social programs such as unemployment, welfare, health care, and through costs associated with our criminal justice system. One high school dropout can be expected to cost the public in excess of $200,000 over the course of his or her life.  (Heilbrunn, J. and K. Seeley, “Saving Money, Saving Youth: The Financial Impact of Keeping Kids in School,” National Center of School Engagement, Colorado Foundation for Families and Children, October 2003)