NEWS RELEASES 1997-98

NEWS RELEASES 1997-98 :: FEBRUARY 20, 1998

DROP-OUT RATE SHOWS SLIGHT IMPROVEMENT

Drop-out Rates for 94-95 Through 96-97

PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF NORTH CAROLINA	DUPLICATED/ FEDERAL DATA						UNDUPLICATED/ STATE DATA
PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF NORTH CAROLINA	1994-95		1995-96		1996-97		1994-95		1995-96		1996-97
Local Education Agency	# of drop-outs	Drop-out Rate	# of drop-outs	Drop-out Rate	# of drop-outs	Drop-out Rate	# of drop-outs	Drop-out Rate	# of drop-outs	Drop-out Rate	# of drop-outs	Drop-out Rate
Alamance	342	4.28	312	3.87	327	3.96	308	3.87	306	3.79	313	3.80
Alexander	125	5.46	108	4.71	104	4.44	123	5.38	105	4.59	99	4.23
Alleghany	25	3.33	19	2.64	18	2.53	25	3.33	19	2.64	18	2.53
Anson	71	3.37	102	4.87	89	4.34	66	3.14	99	4.73	81	3.96
Ashe	78	4.41	82	4.73	81	4.83	76	4.30	78	4.51	71	4.26
Avery	41	3.56	17	1.52	43	3.82	41	3.56	17	1.52	41	3.65
Beaufort	126	3.31	136	3.78	117	3.41	120	3.16	127	3.54	111	3.24
Bertie	71	3.65	21	1.14	67	3.70	61	3.15	21	1.14	62	3.43
Bladen	109	4.00	121	4.48	98	3.76	100	3.68	103	3.84	93	3.58
Brunswick	123	3.01	122	2.97	111	2.65	123	3.01	122	2.97	106	2.53
Bun-combe	578	5.14	530	4.74	464	4.16	447	4.02	504	4.52	414	3.73
Asheville	81	4.01	85	4.31	80	4.18	78	3.86	69	3.53	79	4.13
Burke	248	4.17	254	4.26	223	3.73	246	4.14	249	4.18	211	3.53
Cabarrus	212	3.08	264	3.67	256	3.40	197	2.87	260	3.62	248	3.30
Kannapolis	60	3.37	78	4.39	96	5.50	59	3.31	68	3.85	79	4.57
Caldwell	244	4.58	244	4.63	184	3.56	125	2.40	133	2.58	174	3.38
Camden	6	1.04	3	0.54	10	1.81	4	0.70	3	0.54	10	1.81
Carteret	150	3.83	130	3.27	135	3.31	129	3.31	109	2.76	117	2.88
Caswell	81	4.99	74	4.59	40	2.55	65	4.04	67	4.17	32	2.05
Catawba	244	3.84	284	4.37	304	4.58	193	3.06	237	3.67	272	4.12
Hickory	129	6.60	101	5.36	103	5.53	114	5.88	101	5.36	101	5.43
Newton-Conover	23	1.67	37	2.84	30	2.45	23	1.67	37	2.84	28	2.29
Chatham	98	3.50	107	3.78	88	3.15	57	2.07	103	3.65	75	2.70
Chero-kee	51	3.11	49	3.02	60	3.64	49	2.99	48	2.96	55	3.34
Chowan	37	3.07	38	3.27	20	1.74	37	3.07	38	3.27	17	1.48
Clay	11	1.86	10	1.65	9	1.44	11	1.86	10	1.65	4 0.	65
Cleveland	98	2.60	119	3.15	115	3.09	93	2.47	117	3.10	112	3.01
Kings Mountain	59	3.30	49	2.76	47	2.64	59	3.30	49	2.76	45	2.53
Shelby	44	2.94	44	3.01	65	4.72	42	2.81	44	3.01	61	4.44
Columbus	130	3.64	104	2.97	140	3.98	121	3.40	104	>2.97	138	3.92
Whiteville	61	4.70	34	2.74	38	3.07	54	4.18	31	2.51	34	2.76
Craven	184	2.77	180	2.72	172	2.64	161	2.43	165	2.50	156	2.40
Cumberland	684	3.08	859	3.85	868	3.93	652	2.94	835	3.74	837	3.80
Currituck	40	3.05	41	3.01	57	4.08	40	3.05	32	2.36	50	3.60
Dare	46	2.62	52	2.78	47	2.39	28	1.61	49	2.62	35	1.79
Davidson	322	3.97	266	3.29	280	3.42	238	2.96	194	2.42	257	3.15
Lexington	59	4.41	46	3.53	66	5.02	51	3.84	27	2.10	51	3.93
Thomasville	34	3.55	30	3.21	24	2.70	34	3.55	29	3.10	24	2.70
Davie	86	3.81	53	2.40	52	2.31	76	3.38	53	2.40	49	2.18
Duplin	86	2.40	87	2.43	88	2.46	84	2.34	>87	2.43	85	2.38
Durham	488	3.83	623	4.90	658	5.21	390	3.09	377	3.02	608	4.84
Edgecombe	189	4.86	152	4.09	165	4.57	166	4.29	140	3.78	142	3.96
Forsyth	559	3.13	610	3.39	742	4.11	455	2.56	518	2.89	704	3.91
Franklin	146	4.91	156	5.15	153	5.08	122	4.13	148	4.90	150	4.98
Gaston	391	2.96	395	3.03	398	3.04	277	2.12	322	2.48	361	2.77
Gates	17	2.00	20	2.30	21	2.37	16	1.88	19	2.19	21	2.37
Graham	29	4.88	26	4.56	32	5.78	29	4.88	26	4.56	32	5.78
Granville	83	2.63	81	2.61	82	2.64	63	2.01	80	2.58	81	2.61
Greene	36	2.65	34	2.52	26	1.96	36	2.65	34	2.52	25	1.89
Guilford	842	3.34	705	2.81	723	2.85	823	3.26	605	2.42	660	2.61
Halifax	99	3.36	95	3.23	108	3.72	88	3.00	83	2.84	92	3.18
Roanoke Rapids	37	2.67	36	2.63	32	2.32	29	2.10	33	2.41	27	1.96
Weldon	8	1.37	16	2.76	29	5.36	7	1.20	16	2.76	23	4.30
Harnett	180	3.08	163	2.75	197	3.21	156	2.68	155	2.62	164	2.69
Haywood	116	3.57	131	3.95	136	4.03	98	3.04	127	3.83	127	3.78
Hen-derson	166	3.30	181	3.53	145	2.81	155	3.09	172	3.36	136	2.64
Hertford	76	3.82	56	2.83	45	2.25	62	3.14	51	2.58	44	2.20
Hoke	139	5.50	109	4.37	86	3.46	111	4.44	109	4.37	78	3.15
Hyde	12	3.25	14	3.75	9	2.42	11	2.99	14	3.75	6	1.63
Iredell	234	3.73	266	4.18	268	4.10	234	3.73	263	4.13	262	4.01
Mooresville	47	3.26	66	4.38	48	3.05	41	2.86	65	4.32	48	3.05
Jackson	78	4.64	78	4.51	72	4.18	62	3.72	68	3.95	67	3.90
Johnston	272	3.72	308	4.17	274	3.69	250	3.43	298	4.04	262	3.53
Jones	26	3.66	27	3.91	21	3.20	23	3.25	27	3.91	20	3.06
Lee	104	2.99	104	2.93	136	3.71	103	2.96	104	2.93	132	3.61
Lenoir	166	3.32	196	4.03	172	3.65	160	3.21	188	3.87	155	3.30
Lincoln	173	4.09	144	3.35	168	3.80	161	3.81	132	3.08	141	3.20
Macon	89	4.99	87	4.77	66	3.57	64	3.64	75	4.14	58	3.15
Madison	32	2.64	41	3.37	40	3.36	32	2.64	40	3.29	33	2.79
Martin	82	3.48	86	3.68	93	4.00	68	2.90	79	3.39	80	3.46
McDowell	131	4.53	149	5.18	131	4.65	126	4.36	148	5.15	129	4.58
Mecklenburg	2,017	5.15	2,098	5.22	2,235	5.43	1,897	4.86	1,978	4.93	2,095	5.10
Mitchell	25	2.38	15	1.45	27	2.55	23	2.20	5	0.49	27	2.55
Mont-gomery	83	4.15	59	3.01	61	3.11	68	3.43	47	2.41	53	2.72
Moore	145	3.13	129	2.79	147	3.15	138	2.99	119	2.58	144	3.08
Nash	291	3.64	310	3.95	238	3.12	262	3.29	290	3.70	230	3.02
New Hanover	460	4.65	372	3.80	363	3.69	431	4.37	333	3.41	353	3.59
Northampton	53	3.03	53	3.01	84	4.73	53	3.03	25	1.44	78	4.41
Onslow	252	2.73	221	2.37	172	1.84	117	1.29	181	1.95	161	1.73
Orange	102	4.01	73	2.90	84	3.27	99	3.90	72	2.87	80	3.12
Chapel Hill	65	1.85	37	1.03	32	0.87	55	1.57	37	1.03	29	0.79
Pamlico	23	2.24	24	2.40	21	2.21	23	2.24	24	2.40	21	2.21
Paquotank	65	2.40	59	2.19	67	2.49	63	2.33	58	2.15	66	2.46
Pender	67	2.63	117	4.30	115	4.18	56	2.21	75	2.80	106	3.86
Perquimans	11	1.20	7	0.77	12	1.30	11	1.20	7	>0.77	12	1.30
Person	96	3.88	83	3.40	76	3.11	95	3.84	82	3.36	74	3.03
Pitt	373	4.23	498	5.64	410	4.73	292	3.34	473	5.37	376	4.35
Polk	20	2.18	31	3.29	18	1.90	15	1.65	25	2.67	18	1.90
Randolph	374	5.60	327	4.92	279	4.14	345	5.19	320	4.82	266	3.96
Asheboro	82	4.92	91	5.39	81	4.80	78	4.70	91	5.39	79	4.69
Richmond	115	3.06	104	2.87	84	2.39	108	2.88	104	2.87	78	2.22
Robeson	441	4.14	500	4.76	598	5.71	405	3.82	423	4.05	555	5.32
Rockingham	312	4.79	308	4.80	250	3.91	249	3.86	277	4.33	214	3.36
Rowan	359	4.15	427	4.83	441	4.92	348	4.03	354	4.04	409	4.58
Rutherford	215	4.61	179	3.95	160	3.61	208	4.47	174	3.84	151	3.41
Sampson	34	1.06	46	1.43	37	1.16	34	1.06	43	1.34	37	1.16
Clinton	26	2.17	27	2.30	40	3.46	22	1.84	27	2.30	38	3.30
Scotland	187	5.27	160	4.70	163	4.96	182	5.14	160	4.70	157	4.79
Stanly	83	1.97	134	3.14	87	2.04	80	1.90	131	3.08	78	1.83
Stokes	201	6.42	133	4.32	130	4.20	179	5.76	129	4.19	99	3.23
Surry	178	4.81	212	5.74	191	5.25	158	4.29	184	5.02	169	4.68
Elkin	17	3.29	8	1.55	9	1.77	13	2.54	8	1.55	8	1.58
Mount Airy	19	2.21	17	2.07	14	1.75	19	2.21	16	1.95	14	1.75
Swain	40	5.00	53	6.61	25	3.24	38	4.76	49	6.14	22	2.86
Transylvania	59	3.20	57	3.10	54	2.94	56	3.04	54	2.94	49	2.67
Tyrrell	9	2.36	8	2.09	3	0.81	9	2.36	8	2.09	3	0.81
Union	260	3.28	208	2.59	191	2.33	215	2.73	185	2.31	178	2.18
Vance	153	4.77	200	6.42	159	5.27	131	4.11	199	6.39	150	4.99
Wake	1,304	3.76	1,203	3.37	1,015	2.76	1,304	3.76	1,170	3.28	957	2.61
Warren	58	3.88	87	5.73	86	5.77	54	3.62	79	5.23	81	5.45
Washington	20	1.55	28	2.23	18	1.47	20	1.55	28	2.23	17	1.39
Watauga	99	4.25	73	3.14	75	3.20	94	4.05	73	3.14	70	2.99
Wayne	235	2.73	256	2.97	300	3.47	228	2.65	212	2.47	231	2.69
Wilkes	265	5.66	225	4.89	233	5.08	252	5.39	209	4.56	214	4.69
Wilson	256	4.46	209	3.72	239	4.33	199	3.50	173	3.10	169	3.10
Yadkin	62	2.72	72	3.12	65	2.77	60	2.63	72	3.12	65	2.77
Yancey	32	2.84	59	5.15	49	4.37	30	2.67	55	4.82	41	3.69
North Carolina	19,987	3.78	20,044	3.78	19,730	3.71	17,844	3.39	18,203	3.45	18,235	3.44

About the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction:
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction provides leadership to 115 local public school districts and 107 charter schools serving over 1.4 million students in kindergarten through high school graduation. The agency is responsible for all aspects of the state's public school system and works under the direction of the North Carolina State Board of Education.

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