High School Completion in United States

United States

The connection between education and health is well-documented. Higher educational attainment is associated with better jobs, higher earnings, increased health literacy and better self-reported health. Additionally, increased time in school is associated with higher civic engagement in adulthood. Individuals with lower educational attainment are at a greater risk of adverse health outcomes such as worse general health, more chronic conditions, more functional limitations, disability, mental health problems and premature death. 

Each high school dropout in the United States accounts for more than $272,000 in lost revenue over a lifetime based on the differences between dropouts and graduates in income, taxes paid and government spending on health, crime and welfare.

The prevalence of high school completion is higher among:

• White, Black, Asian and Hawaiian/Pacific Islander adults compared with other race, Hispanic and American Indian/Alaska Native adults.
• Students who did not give birth during high school than those who did. 
• Students without a disability compared with students who have a disability.
• Students who are proficient in English compared with those with limited English proficiency.

Keeping children and adolescents in school through high school graduation and beyond is key to increasing equitable health outcomes. Several programs have successfully improved high school graduation rates by targeting high-risk populations. Strategies that can improve rates of high school or GED completion — and ultimately, health equity — include: 

• Vocational training (trade schools) and alternative schooling.
• Social-emotional skills training.
• College-oriented programming, mentoring and counseling.
• Attendance monitoring and case management.
• Community service opportunities.

The Institute of Education Sciences lists several recommendations for preventing dropout and improving graduation rates, including monitoring the progress of all students, providing intensive, individualized support to students who have fallen off track and engaging students by offering curricula and programs that connect schoolwork with college and career success.

Interventions to increase high school graduation rates should target social, economic and health-related barriers to graduation. These include absenteeism, chronic illness, poverty, hunger, developmental delay due to chronic stress, homelessness and teen pregnancy. The expansion of school-based health centers can help address these barriers.

Increasing the proportion of high school students who graduate in four years is a Healthy People 2030 objective.

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“Why Education Matters to Health: Exploring the Causes.” Issue Brief #2. Education and Health Initiative. Richmond, VA: The VCU Center on Society and Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, April 2014. https://societyhealth.vcu.edu/media/society-health/pdf/test-folder/CSH-EHI-Issue-Brief-2.pdf.

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