High School Completion by Youth with Disabilities (continued)

The high school completion rate is significantly higher among 18-year-olds than 15- through 17-year-olds-71 percent-a 25-percentage-point increase since 1987. The school completion rate is highest (80 percent) among out-of-school 19-year-olds with disabilities, although this is not a significantly higher rate than in 1987.

Household income. The completion rate is significantly higher among youth with disabilities from wealthier households (i.e., with incomes of more than $50,000) than among low-income youth (82 percent vs. 64 percent), an income-related difference that also is apparent in the general population (Kaufman, Alt, and Chapman 2001). However, both the lowest and middle income groups show significant increases over time in their school completion rates (19 and 26 percentage points, respectively), an increase not shared by the highest income group.

Race/ethnicity. Although Hispanic youth with disabilities appear to have a lower rate of school completion than White or African-American peers (60 percent vs. 74 percent and 3 77 percent), this difference is not statistically significant. Similarly, although all three racial/ethnic groups demonstrate similar increases over time in their school completion rates, only the increases for White and African-American youth with disabilities reach statistical significance (18 and 22 percentage points, respectively).

Gender. No differences are noted in the school completion rates of boys and girls with disabilities. However, boys show a statistically significant increase over time that is not evident for girls (20 vs. 10 percentage points for boys and girls, respectively).

What Happens Next?

The period that extends from the end of high school through a youth's twenties challenges youth with decisions regarding education, careers, marriage, and parenting; demands for financial and residential independence; and the myriad responsibilities (legal, social, and personal) that accompany adulthood (Osgood et al. 2005). In the first few years after high school, the paths into young adulthood of youth with disabilities who finish high school diverge in important ways from those followed by youth with disabilities who do not finish high school. The following sections focus on youth with disabilities who had been out of school from a few weeks up to 2 years and describes their activities in the areas of education, employment, independence, and community participation.

Participation in high school diploma/ certificate programs. Dropping out of school is not an irrevocable decision. Young people may still obtain a high school diploma by reentering a regular or alternative secondary school program or by taking an examination to obtain a General Educational Development (GED) credential. Up to 2 years after leaving high school, 29 percent of youth with disabilities who had dropped out had taken one or more classes or tests to earn a high school diploma, and almost one-third of those program participants had earned a high school diploma or certificate—i.e., 9 percent of all dropouts with disabilities. Although obtaining a GED or following another degree path does not overcome the labor market disadvantage for dropouts compared with graduates, GED holders in the general population have been found to earn higher wages than uncredentialed dropouts (Tyler 2003).

Postsecondary school enrollment. One of the clearest advantages of finishing high school is that it provides the necessary foundation for pursuing most postsecondary education opportunities, which is critically important if youth with disabilities are to participate fully in an economy that is increasingly knowledge based. The advantage of finishing high school is evident in the rates of postsecondary school enrollment of youth with disabilities.

Within 2 years of leaving high school, 39 percent of graduates with disabilities enroll in some kind of postsecondary education institution, more than four times the enrollment rate of dropouts (9 percent). Two-year or community colleges are the most popular kind of postsecondary school among graduates; 27 percent of graduates enroll in such schools. In contrast, high school dropouts are most likely to attend vocational, technical, or business schools; 8 percent of dropouts do so. About 1 in 8 graduates enroll in a 4-year college; not surprisingly, virtually no dropouts do.