NC testing out higher school dropout age
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – As state leaders seek to reduce the number of students dropping out of school, the North Carolina State Board of Education got an update Wednesday on a pilot program in districts that have increased the dropout age to 18.
North Carolina is among 14 states where students may legally leave school at 16, according to a report by the NC Dept. of Public Instruction. About half of states do not allow students to drop out before age 18 while Texas has the highest dropout age, which is 19.
The state board has previously voted in favor of supporting efforts to increase the dropout age in North Carolina.
A bipartisan bill that lawmakers in the state House of Representatives filed this year would incrementally increase the dropout age to 18 over the course of a few years. The bill did not advance during this year’s session.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the data discussed Wednesday shows the dropout rate increased statewide after it had been trending downward for several years.
It rose from 1.94% in the 2020-2021 school year to 2.25% in the 2021-2022 school year.
Karen Fairley, executive director of the Center for Safer Schools, noted the school closures during the pandemic make it difficult to compare data to previous years.
In 2013, the General Assembly created a pilot program, allowing a few school districts to raise the dropout age to 18 to see what impact it would have. Newton-Conover City Schools, Rutherford County Schools, Hickory City Schools and McDowell County Schools are part of that pilot program.
Results were mixed across the four districts in the most recent data shared on Wednesday. Newton-Conover and Rutherford both saw declines in their dropout rates from the 2020-2021 to 2021-2022 school years. Hickory and McDowell reported increases during that time period.
The state’s graduation rate also declined during that time from 87% to 86.4%.
Data regarding dropout rates for the 2022-2023 school year is not yet available.
Board of Education Vice Chair Alan Duncan pointed to recent legislation known as the Parents’ Bill of Rights that outlines what authority parents have over decisions regarding their children’s education. He questioned why that does not apply to decisions on dropping out.
“My understanding is for dropouts there is no such legislation that would require parents to actually have to authorize their child to drop out of school which seems a little odd to me,” he said.
Fairley also brought up the Raise the Age legislation that passed a few years ago. Now, 16 and 17-year-olds are no longer automatically tried in adult court for nonviolent crimes.
“In light of the Raise the Age legislation and major changes to the juvenile justice system taking place as a result, revisit moving the age for the state even if there’s an opting out opportunity,” she said.
She added there needs to be increased communication in the communities where the pilot program is underway so that the judicial system, social services, parents and students all understand the attendance requirement.
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