Just for the Kids does. Students in jail aren't considered dropouts by the state, because they receive alternative education. But what we're reporting is what is required by the state. For staff and school board members both numbers are too high. The rate may be lower than some of the others, but it still pains us when it happens.
Any dropout is one too many.
A look at the formulas Using a formula prescribed by the Texas Education Agency, the Richardson district reported a 1.2 percent dropout total for 1997-98. That compares with 1.3 percent for Dallas, 2.5 percent for Fort Worth, 1.2 percent for Birdville, 0.6 percent for Plano and 1 percent for Carrollton-Farmers Branch and Lewisville. The state's formula asks school districts to calculate the dropout rate for seventh through 12th grades. Just for the Kids based its calculations on students who entered ninth grade in 1994. Some state legislators and education experts say that the state's formula keeps the numbers artificially low and that they don't accurately reflect graduation totals.