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American Youth:  Issues and Challenges

Did You Know?
A Teen Graduation Crisis Survey was conducted by BGCA in March 2009. The survey, completed by nearly 1,000 U.S. residents ages 13-18 years old, revealed some staggering results. See the survey highlights or learn more about BGCA's 2009 Teen Town Hall event, where experts and teens discussed education in the United States and the challenges teens face.
  • 74% of teens know someone who has dropped out of high school.
  • The #1 issue that 24% of teens would like the current White House Administration to address is the cost of college.
  • Ten years from now, 32% of teens expect to earn $100,000 or more annually in their careers.

Interested in more survey results? Read about results from our 2008 teen survey.

By the Numbers1

  • Nearly one-third of all public high school students – and nearly one half of all African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans – fail to graduate with their class.
  • 88% of youth had passing grades when they dropped out of school; 91% of those dropouts said they knew that graduating was vital to their future success.
  • If the students who dropped out of the class of 2008 had graduated, the U.S. economy would have benefited from an additional $319 billion in income over their lifetimes.
1  The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts, Civic Enterprises.
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19% of Club members are 11-12 years of age.