Out of all 50 states, there's no state where kids are dropping out of high school at a higher rate than Arizona.
That's according to a report on graduation and dropout rates released today by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is part of the U.S. Department of Education.
See also:
-Arizona High Schoolers Beat the National Average (in Cocaine, Meth, and Steroid Use)
-Legislators Propose Forcing High School Students to Swear to Defend Constitution in Order to Graduate
These stats apparently take some time to put together -- this report takes into account 2009 and 2010 -- but the 7.8 percent of high school students in Arizona who dropped out during that time was the highest rate in the nation.
Mississippi had the second-highest rate, at 7.4 percent.
On the other hand, New Hampshire and Idaho had the lowest rates, at 1.2 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively.
The median dropout rate during that time was 3.4 percent.
Seeing that Arizona's high-schoolers beat the national average in meth, cocaine, and steroid use -- and legislators are currently trying to force loyalty oaths on high schoolers -- the dropout rate may not be incredibly surprising.
The silver lining, if there is any, is that Arizona's dropout rate was actually higher from 2008 to 2009, when it was 8.3 percent.
Click here if you want to check out the report.
