The Bridge to Excellence Foundation, Inc.

The Facts

The facts about high school dropout rates are shocking but true. The Foundation is dedicated to changing these statistics one student at a time…

Timing is Everything…

Nationally, a student drops out of school every 9 seconds.

Students aren’t the only ones paying the price…

In 2004, High School dropouts will cost the U.S. more than $325 billion in lost wages, taxes and productivity over their lifetime.
High School graduates will earn nearly $333,000 more in their lifetime than dropouts.

A survey in March 2006 of young people who left high school without graduating, by Civic Enterprise and Peter D. Hart Research Associates for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, gave insight as to why, how and what can be done to save the lives of our children…

Why are they giving up?

Personal reasons for dropping out:

32% had to get a job and make money

26% became a parent

22% had to care for a family member

Tell-Tale Signs…

65% of respondents missed class often the year before dropping out
38% believed they had “too much freedom” and not enough rules
68% said their parents became more involved only when they were aware that their child was on the verge of dropping out.

Regrets…

81% now feel that graduating from high school is important to success in life
74% say that if they were able to relive the experience, they would have stayed in school
47% say that not having a diploma makes it hard to find a good job.

The Foundation is committed to improving the lives of at-risk youth. We recognize and utilize the facts and statistics about high school dropouts to create a learning environment that encourages attendance, learning and genuine interest from our students.