Louisiana Dropout Rates Fall For The Third Year In A Row

For the third year in a row, the dropout rate in Louisiana has fallen according to the Louisiana Department of Education. Dropout rates for grades 7-12 went from 4.8% in 2008-2009 to 3.5% in 2009-2010 3.1% in 2010-2011.

High school dropout rates showed a significant improvement as they saw a 8.1% decrease from last year.

Governor Bobby Jindal says, “As we invest in dropout prevention programs that work and eliminate ineffective programs that don't, more and more of our students are choosing to stay in school and earn their diplomas. These new graduation and dropout rates are further proof that our reforms are making a difference in our students' lives and preparing them for success in the workplace. We still have more work to do though and that's why we passed transformative education reforms this year to give parents and students more choices and to help put a great teacher in every classroom."

LDOE officials attribute these improvements to having better graduation rates at the state and local level to new and enriched resources and tools to support early intervention.

The goal to reach for the state is an 80% graduation rate for the year 2014.