Columbia, SC (WLTX) - As students get ready to head back to school, the South Carolina Department of Education says the statewide dropout rate is on the rise.
The annual report shows statewide the student dropout rate increased from 2.3 percent during the 2015-16 school year to 2.4 percent during the 2016-17 school year.
However, in 52 of South Carolina's 84 districts, the dropout rate declined.
"Students who are engaged and see the relevance in what they are learning will show up to class on time and not drop out.," said State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman. "I challenge our teachers, schools, and districts to find students' passions and offer them opportunities so that they can be successful. If we do this, our graduation rates will continue to climb and our dropout rate will get even lower."
The highest dropout rates continue to be nonwhite males. Overall, the state saw in increase in dropout rates for both nonwhite males and nonwhite females.
The largest jump in dropouts at schools in the midlands was in Kershaw County.
The district saw 85 students drop out of school 2016-17 compared to 49 the year prior.
Out of students who drop out of school, the report states more than half do so by 10th grade.
The Dept. of Education has collected dropout rates since 1971. Students who re-enroll in school after leaving are not including in the count.
Under state law, you must be 17 years old to legally drop out of school. If a student younger than that does not show up to school repeatedly, they may be sent to family court or to the Department of Juvenile Justice for up to 90 days.
Parents of students younger than 12 are held responsible for kids that miss too many days of school.
Earlier this year, lawmakers looked to raise the dropout age to 18, but the bill ended the session stuck in a committee.
Lawmakers will have to reintroduce the bill in January.
Overall, SC is ranked in the bottom 20 worst school systems in the United States. The study done by WalletHub ranked states by everything from pupil to teacher ratio to standardized test scores.
