Boosting State and National Economies by Improving High School Graduation Rates

Posted by on March 27, 2011

Further costs of the crisis

A new study from the Alliance for Excellent Education shows the likely economic benefits that states could see if they were to cut the number of high school dropouts in half. A collection of state-by-state profiles and an accompanying national profile significantly expand on those released last year by the Alliance that demonstrated economic benefits of improving graduation rates in the nation’s largest cities and surrounding metropolitan statistical areas. These new findings project economic gains as the result of reducing the number of students who drop out from just one class of high school students in every state and the District of Columbia. Economic benefits projected in the state-by-state profiles include higher individual earnings, increased home and auto sales, job and economic growth, higher levels of spending and investment, and larger state tax revenues; tailored to each state, the findings were determined using state-specific economic data. Later this spring, the Alliance will release similar projections for metropolitan statistical areas, updating those released last year and adding nearly 150 additional areas.

See the profiles: http://www.all4ed.org/publication_material/EconStates