Dropout rate for boys ’unacceptably’ high

Canada’s high school dropout rate may be steadily declining but figures for boys and marginalized groups remain "unacceptably" high, a C.D. Howe report released Thursday concluded. Canada’s high school dropout rate, defined by Statistics Canada as the percentage of people aged 20-24 without a diploma, declined from 16.6 per cent in 1990-91 to 8.5 per cent in 2009-10. Despite this overall decline, the male dropout rate of 10.3 per cent remains significantly higher than the female dropout rate of 6.6 per cent. There are "five males now dropping out for every three females," the study reads. More alarming, according to study author John Richards, is the dropout rate for aboriginal youth, which ranges from 20.3 per cent for Metis students to 50.9 per cent for First Nation students who live on a reserve. Among Richards recommendations to address the dropout rate is to target early childhood education programs at at risk communities and to encourage high school sports programs.