Brief Dropping Out and Clocking In
A Portrait of Teens Who Leave School Early and Work
Molly M. Scott, Simone Zhang, Heather Koball
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Graduating from high school is vital to young people’s life chances. Much of the current policy conversation around helping youth stay the course focuses on disconnected youth who are not in school or employed, but there is another group: youth who drop out and work. This brief uses data from the American Community Survey on 16- to 18-year-old youth to describe trends in early employment. The analyses show that young workers contribute substantially to their households, raising important questions about the economic role of youth and future approaches to dropout prevention.

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Research and Evidence Housing and Communities Work, Education, and Labor Family and Financial Well-Being Tax and Income Supports Research to Action Upward Mobility
Expertise Families K-12 Education Social Safety Net Upward Mobility and Inequality Early Childhood
Tags Economic well-being Schooling Inequality and mobility Kids in context Families with low incomes Children and youth