Disparities in High School Graduation Rates Between Males and Females Have Long-Term Implications

Though they share the same educational environments, curricula, and often even family backgrounds, girls are consistently outpacing boys in public high schools across the nation when it comes to graduation rates.

This gender gap is considerable, frequently mirroring the educational achievement differences seen between affluent and economically disadvantaged students—a matter that has garnered significant attention from policy makers over the years. However, the factors contributing to lower graduation rates among boys remain less understood.

Conversations with students, educational professionals, and researchers indicate multiple contributing elements. Men, for example, can often secure comparable wages to women despite having lower educational qualifications. Furthermore, boys are more frequently subjected to disciplinary actions, such as suspensions, that can hinder their academic progression. Additionally, they are less likely to seek assistance for mental health issues.

Initially, some male dropouts appear to fare reasonably well, finding stable employment. However, long-term analyses reveal that the absence of a high school diploma can significantly limit a man’s career and earning potential, and increases the likelihood of legal issues.

Bryant West, a resident of Pascagoula, Mississippi, left high school in 2020, halfway through his studies. Instead of focusing on academic subjects he found irrelevant, West chose to work in fast-food and landscaping to support his family financially. He later earned his GED, stating, “This was simply another path I chose.”

Beth Jarosz, a program director at the research organization PRB, posits that young men like West may not prioritize graduating because they can still sustain themselves financially without a high school diploma. Jarosz notes that men without high school diplomas often earn as much as women with some college education.

Though the U.S. government mandates reporting of graduation rates based on racial, ethnic, and other demographic categories, gender-based reporting is not obligatory. Nonetheless, available data from states that do report these numbers reveals that female students consistently graduate at higher rates than their male counterparts.

In 2018, an estimated 45,000 fewer boys than girls graduated high school, according to researcher Richard Reeves. Data for that year indicates an 88% graduation rate for girls versus 82% for boys—a gap that persisted in 2021, based on a follow-up study.

Various school districts have been exploring methods to address the gender gap. Yonkers, New York, for instance, has implemented mentorship programs specifically targeted at boys of color, which have proven effective. Edwin Quezada, the district’s former Superintendent, emphasized that boys are more frequently referred to special education and are subject to higher rates of suspension, both factors that can impede on-time graduation.

In Buffalo, where the graduation gender gap was 10 percentage points in 2022, schools have incorporated strategies from the “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative and collaborated with education advocacy groups to provide mentorship and recruit male teachers. Jeffrey Hammond, a spokesperson for the district, states that research shows girls are generally more future-oriented, set academic objectives, and face fewer disciplinary actions compared to boys.

Data regarding the intersection of race and gender in graduation rates is limited, but Reeves’ latest research indicates that the gender gap is particularly wide among Black students, compared to their white or Asian counterparts.

While the gender disparity in graduation rates is challenging to fully explain, Beth Jarosz of PRB asserts that structural racism accounts for some educational gaps but is not the determining factor when it comes to the gender-based differences in graduation rates.

The educational reporting team of The Big Big News is funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The AP maintains full editorial control over the content.

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More about gender gap in high school graduation rates

• High School Graduation Rates by State
• Gender Disparities in Education
• The Economic Impact of High School Dropouts
• “My Brother’s Keeper” Initiative
• Role of Mentorship in Education
• The Intersection of Race and Gender in Education
• PRB Research on Educational Disparities