Claim: Rick Santorum incorrectly claimed that "one of three children drop out of school" in the United States. The 2009 dropout rate was 8.1 percent — slightly higher than it was in 2008, but down significantly from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and even early 2000s, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. It's true that a higher percentage of students in the U.S. fail to graduate on time — about 23 percent in the 2009-10 school year.
Fact-check: Santorum Exaggerates Dropout Rate - FactCheck.org
Verdict: rick santorum incorrectly claimed that "one of three children drop out of school" in the united states. the 2009 dropout rate was 8.1 percent — slightly higher than it was in 2008, but down significantly from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and even early 2000s, according to the national center for education statistics. it's true that a higher percentage of students in the u.s. fail to graduate on time — about 23 percent in the 2009-10 school year.
Organisation: FactCheck.org
Author: Eugene Kiely
Date published: 2012-02-21T21:07:38