<p>Anyone know where we can find information about drop-out rates at the top ten? In particular, how many graduate out of the original freshman class? Other stats would be of interest as well -- when/what year do they drop out? why? Thanks.</p>
<p>Although not common, once in awhile a student arrives and decides it just not the right place and is adamant about going home. Rarely do students drop out and more likely to be dismissed for a variety of reasons. The number of expulsions varies from year to year from zero to the teens. Otherwise, I for one do not know where to find those numbers, if they exist at all.</p>
<p>There are no drop-outs. Or at least they’re extremely, EXTREMELY rare. As in that one kid that one year that was just really really odd [or demotivated]/disillusioned/rebelling/whatever.</p>
<p>Low drop out rate may indicate a lack of academic rigor.</p>
<p>Leyland - There are instances where the students and/or families conclude that it may not be in the student’s best interest to continue until graduation. Often, these families will opt for local private day schools or strong public schools in their area. Retention rates are not typically published, however, you may want to inquire during interviews and compare the answers from different schools to gain some insight.</p>
<p>Definitely not rare. Perhaps ‘drop out’ isn’t clear enough. Do you mean chose to leave for another school or asked to leave by the school? Retention rate is a great question, and hard numbers typically not publicly disclosed. A student could leave for many valid reasons unrelated to their performance at school.</p>
<p>A statistically significant drop out rate is less related to a lack of academic rigor and more related to the admission’s office doing a poor job of matching applicant to school.</p>
<p>I think the technical term for this is “attrition.” NAIS has a handy “statistics” section on their website, with nifty charts. This links to the “Facts at a Glance” page on NAIS member schools, available to anyone: [NAIS</a> Independent School Facts at a Glance](<a href=“http://www.nais.org/resources/statistical.cfm?ItemNumber=146713]NAIS”>http://www.nais.org/resources/statistical.cfm?ItemNumber=146713). The trends are fascinating. </p>
<p>On average, in those NAIS member schools who responded to the survey, the average attrition rate was 10.3% in '09-'10. The median attrition rate was 9%, which I interpret as a sign that attrition rates can vary widely between schools, with some schools having much larger attrition rates than the average. </p>
<p>The fascinating part comes when you start looking at trends over time. In '07-'08, the average attrition rate was 11.6%, and the median attrition rate was 9.3%. So, the average attrition rate is lower after the crash than before. Why? I can think of several reasons.</p>
<p>1) Before the bubble popped, some families “tried out” boarding schools. After the bubble, families are thinking much more intensely about taking the risk. They’re also more likely to not write off the tuition already invested.</p>
<p>2) Schools are more likely to be fully enrolled–or over-enrolled. Thus, the numbers of students who leave (for whatever reason) may be constant over time, but represent a smaller percentage of the whole.</p>
<p>3) The local options are less appealing for more families. More families have both parents working, which makes boarding more attractive. The parents who once provided transport to activities are working, or looking for work.</p>
<p>4) The schools are admitting more children from families who have experience with boarding, or making a greater effort to persuade families to stay.</p>
<p>5) The schools’ characteristics have changed in some way. In '07-'08, 145 member boarding schools returned the survey. In '09-'10, 221 member boarding schools returned the survey. In '08, the average enrollment was 268 (median 235), and in '10, the average enrollment was 397 (median 288). The overall number of member schools didn’t really change, though-- 1228 in '08 vs. 1223 in '10. It’s possible that a few boarding schools with very high attrition rates closed, which would affect the aggregate. It’s also possible that some day schools have added boarding components, which would change the statistics without changing the “facts on the ground” for the schools which always identified themselves as boarding schools. I think some day schools must have been recategorized, as the average size of the schools leapt so quickly. </p>
<p>An interesting fact is that in '09-'10, the avg. attrition rate at day schools was higher (10.6) than the avg. attrition rate at boarding schools (10.3).</p>
<p>Kids are more likely to leave or made to leave at the end of the first year or during/after second year in BS. They either decide that the school is a no fit and choose to leave or they break the rules (alcohol, drugs and plagiarism being the most common) and are forced to leave. I say a 2-3% yearly drop-out rate is the norm, but I am not sure. I am sure there are people out there who are more knowledgable - especially those who have kids who are going to or went to different boarding schools.</p>
<p>Thanks for that great info, Periwinkle. Do we have a total count of boarding high schools in this country? How many students are enrolled in BS? And, I think the top schools as OP is asking about have attrition rates a lot lower than 10.3%.</p>
<p>Oh, I thought the op meant actual drop-out [as in not going to college] rate. </p>
<p>Leaving for another school is not uncommon. I’d say each grade has a minimum of two people who don’t make it to graduation if it’s a happy, good grade. For example, in my grade, one person was expelled, two left at the end of the year, and one was held back. </p>
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<p>Difficult to answer as there are new additions to the grade every year, in particular a large number of new sophomores.</p>
<p>In 2006, 220 juniors (9th graders) matriculated at Phillips Academy. By graduation 2010, 19 of these students had left.</p>
<p>DAndrew, I don’t think it’s quite true that the bulk of attrition in a class happens in the first two years. If you look at national surveys of high school kids, the percentages of students who have ever “attended a party at which drugs or alcohol were used” (or words to that effect) increase with each year of high school. The academic pressure increases with age, as well, and I do think that some kids get caught because they subconsciously want to sabotage their high school career. I’d theorize that it’s much simpler to get DC’d, than to face (some) parents and say, “Mom, Dad, I don’t want to go to Harvard.”</p>
<p>I’d expect homesickness, and “poor fit” (academic and socially) to explain the early attrition. I have the impression that many schools will send students home if they believe it to be in the student’s best interest.</p>
<p>As I learn more about boarding schools, I am less likely to guess at the reasons for any particular student’s decision to leave a school. Discipline issues are frequently the reason, but they aren’t the only reason. It is most unkind to assume that a child left a school because he was kicked out or flunked out. As Alextwooffour points out, there are many reasons to leave. A high attrition rate could mean any number of things.</p>
<p>I wish I had thought to look at all the yearbooks at the schools we visited! Some of them do devote space to the departed.</p>
<p>Thank you very much. That is what I was looking for. Although it’s interesting to know how many students do not go on to college after graduation, I really was looking for how many left (for any reason at all including transferring to another bs) after entering as a 9th grader, and the reasons for the exit. The responses here have given me insight.</p>