American school districts are losing the battle to successfully educate a large number of the nation’s youth. For every 10 students that begin ninth grade, three students fail to graduate from high school four years later. This equates to about 1.2 million students who drop out each year. Urban areas are of particular concern, as they have the lowest graduation rates. In the nation’s 50 largest cities, the graduation rate is an abysmal 53 percent. Disaggregating the graduation percentages by race reveals an even more disturbing story for youth of color. 

To learn more, read this brief by Rhonda Bryant.