Kids find multiple reasons to drop out of HS

by Justin Renigar

Every year there are thousands of kids that drop out of high school. The nationwide dropout rate for the class of 2008 was 4.4%. With the new graduation requirements, kids feel discouraged, like they can’t meet the higher standards, so they drop out.

Other reasons come into play as well. “Some kids drop out because they feel they need to get a job to pay for things, like cars, that aren’t as important as an education,” said PHS guidance counselor Mrs. Sanderson. Other life situations pop up to influence dropout rates as well. “Girls become pregnant and stay home to take care of their kids,” said Mrs. Sanderson. These are two big reasons of why kids dropout. One out of three students will not graduate this year. However, rates are expected to drop when the legal dropout age is changed to 18.

That’s what’s going on in the rest of the world, but what about our own high school? Three to four kids of each grade in PHS are estimated to drop out; if we averaged 55 kids per grade, that would be anywhere between 6%-8%. That is not a guarantee, just an average rate of our high school. Pittsford does a few things to try and stop these kids from dropping out. PHS counselor Mrs. Sanderson talks to students about the importance of graduating and getting an education and how the choices they make right now will effect them for the rest of their lives. We also have programs like NovaNet and correspondence classes to make up credits that students have lost so they can graduate. Around Hillsdale it’s hard to get a job even with a college diploma; imagine trying to get a job without even a high school education. Jobs require skills and quitting is not one of them. So if you have ever thought about dropping out think again and realize it will affect you for the rest of your life.