Education

Why Do Kids Drop Out?

March 08, 2006 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

According to a recent study, most dropouts say they stopped going to school because they were bored and unmotivated—not because they were failing academically.

The report’s authors argue that the responses suggest a need for changes in education to decrease the dropout rate, namely, more engaging class material and an “early-warning system” to identify and assist likely dropouts by monitoring attendance records. But others point out that these responses may mask other problems, such as students’ lack of reading comprehension or personal pride leading them to downplay academic failure.

What’s your view? Why do kids dropout of school? What can school and teachers to do help at-risk students before they quit.

A version of this news article first appeared in the Teacher Talkback blog.

Events

Jobs Regional K-12 Virtual Career Fair: DMV
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Well-Being & Movement Webinar
Building Resilient Students: Leadership Beyond the Classroom
How can schools build resilient, confident students? Join education leaders to explore new strategies for leadership and well-being.
Content provided by IMG Academy
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar
Blueprints for the Future: Engineering Classrooms That Prepare Students for Careers
Explore how to build career-ready engineering programs in your high school with hands-on, real-world learning strategies.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Opinion The Opinions EdWeek Readers Care About: The Year’s 10 Most-Read
The opinion content readers visited most in 2025.
2 min read
Collage of the illustrations form the top 4 most read opinion essays of 2025.
Education Week + Getty Images
Education Quiz Did You Follow This Week’s Education News? Take This Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz How Did the SNAP Lapse Affect Schools? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz New Data on School Cellphone Bans: How Much Do You Know?
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read