District Dropout Rate Best in County

Tustin Unified School District had the lowest percentage of high school dropouts in Orange County last year, according to figures from the California Department of Education.

The district’s high schools have reduced their combined dropout rate from 2.4% for 1991-92 to 0.4% for 1995-96, far below the statewide rate of 3.9%, according to figures released by the state agency.

According to the report, 14 students dropped out of Tustin Unified high schools from a total enrollment of about 3,627.

District officials attributed the decrease to increased efforts to track student attendance and offer a variety of alternative education programs, such as one for teen mothers.

“We’re very proud of this accomplishment,” Supt. George Mannon said.

Just above Tustin were Irvine Unified and Laguna Beach Unified districts, each of which lost 0.5% of high school students in the 1995-96 school year. Laguna Beach, which had 771 students enrolled, lost the fewest students: just four.

The highest dropout rate was in Santa Ana Unified, which lost 866 students of 11,388 enrolled, or 7.6%.

Across Orange County, 3,271 of 121,185 high school students, or 2.7%, dropped out last year, according to the report. The countywide rate was 3.7% in 1991-92, the first year covered in the report, and has dropped steadily since.

The study defined a dropout as a student who has left school for 45 consecutive days, has not enrolled in a public or private school program and has not received a high school diploma or equivalent.

Individuals can access California dropout rates for each school district through the California Department of Education’s Web site at: https://www.cde.ca.gov.