2 Wilmington schools named out of 42 statewide with no dropouts | Education

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WECT) - Isaac Bear Early College High School and Wilmington Early College High School have been named two of 42 NC New Schools partner schools that had no dropouts in the 2011-2012 school year, according to an NC New Schools spokesperson.

NC New Schools are part of a public-private partnership across the state meant to prepare students for college, careers and life. Data released Thursday by the State Board of Education shows that overall, schools that were NC New Schools partners lost very few students to dropping out.

Of the 99 total partner schools statewide, the combined dropout rate was 1.4 percent. In comparison, the dropout rate for the whole state was 3.01 percent.

Out of the 74 partner early colleges statewide, the combined dropout rate was just 0.5 percent.

Additionally, according to an ongoing experimental study of North Carolina’s early colleges, students who are enrolled in innovative schools are more likely to stay in school.

“Students drop out for many reasons, some of which are very challenging for schools to address,” said Tony Habit, President of NC New Schools, in a statement. “But these numbers show that schools that really engage students with relevant instruction and supportive relationships are finding that those to be the most effective keys to dropout prevention.”

Copyright 2013 WECT. All rights reserved.