Among 12th grade students, rates of binge drinking fell from a high of 41.2 percent in 1980 to 27.5 percent in 1993. Between 1993 and 1996, rates have edged up modestly to 30.2 percent. 25 Differences by Age. In 1996, 15.6 percent of 8th grade students reported binge drinking, while nearly twice this percentage reported binge drinking in 12th grade. Differences by Gender.
Male students report higher rates of binge drinking than do female students at all grade levels.
The disparity in binge drinking rates between males and females is greater in the upper grades, with nearly 37 percent of males and 23 percent of females in the 12th grade reporting binge drinking in 1995. Differences by Race. Hispanic youth in the 8th grade are more likely than their white and black peers to engage in binge drinking. By the 12th grade, however, white students report a higher prevalence of binge drinking than do either Hispanic or black students. National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH Publication No.