Drop-out & College-going Rates
More than one in six Monterey County girls (16.2%) drops out of high school before graduating, a rate that is lower than the state average. (Source: California Department of Education, 2011)
Specific data on girls’ reasons for dropping out of school are not readily available, and this merits additional investigation in future reports on the status of women and girls in Monterey County. Anecdotal evidence suggests that a number of girls drop out to work full-time to help support their families and/or to care for their siblings or their own children. Teenaged focus group participants pointed to traditional gender roles as a factor that discourages girls from staying in school. One observed,
“Girls are often told that they are needed at home to help with chores and childcare.”
While most local girls do graduate from high school, the rate of State college or university attendance among graduates of public high schools in Monterey County has declined steadily over the past 5 years, dropping from 46% in 2004 to only 28% in 2009. (Source: California Postsecondary Education System, 2011)
Source: California Postsecondary Education System, 2011
Confirmed in Compliance with National