The 10 Worst Dropout Cities

Total population: 777,650
Population 18 and over, some high school, no degree: 11.40%
Individual median yearly earnings: $27,975

Baton Rouge has been an area in flux since a massive population increase of displaced New Orleanians after Hurricane Katrina was followed by a mass exodus. At least one bright spot is the West Baton Rouge School District. Overall test scores increased 4.1 percent last year, and have gone up 10.5 points since 2005-2006

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Total population: 909,153
Population 18 and over, some high school, no degree: 11.77%
Individual median yearly earnings: $22,663

A limited number of Fresno students who've been expelled from traditional middle and high schools will have a place to learn in January when a $2.3 million alternative community school opens. A worthwhile effort, but is it too little too late? “The fourth grade is a watershed year,” Ben Fox, an AmeriCorps Vista Volunteer Coordinator at ReadFresno tells The Daily Beast. “If you haven’t developed the skills that you need, that gap doesn’t close, you’re not going to be able to catch up.”

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Total population: 518,515
Population 18 and over, some high school, no degree: 11.86%
Individual median yearly earnings: $25,821

Students in Chattanooga might have a tough time graduating because some don’t even show up to school. A report this month by WRCB in Chattanooga found that eight schools in the Hamilton County School District have absentee rates higher than 10 percent. The highest was Howard High School at 17.37 percent.

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Total population: 624,715
Population 18 and over, some high school, no degree: 11.92%
Individual median yearly earnings: $26,287

African-American enrollment has fallen in Greenville County Schools the last four years, while 85 percent of growth was among Hispanics, according to a recent study by The Greenville News. William Harrison, the chairman of the State Board of Education, said last week that students in the fourth grade could have up to a dozen jobs by the time they turn 38 and would need “a solid education that enables them to learn the specific skills when they get out there in the world of work.”

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Total population: 580,594
Population 18 and over, some high school, no degree: 12.09%
Individual median yearly earnings: $27,176

The Devil finds work for idle hands: A nationwide study earlier this month by Northeastern University found that one in ten male high school dropouts is incarcerated. A big part of avoiding time behind bars is emphasizing the importance of education before kids get to high school, according to advocates. “The biggest impact we have on the dropout rate is in middle school, because that’s when they start wondering, ‘Why are these classes going to make a difference?’” says Lily Romine, executive director of Polk County’s branch of Junior Achievement, a volunteer-driven, non-profit organization serving approximately 8,000 students.

Chris Schmidt

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Total population: 4,115,871
Population 18 and over, some high school, no degree: 12.59%
Individual median yearly earnings: $28,418

Riverside was one of the cities in 19 states targeted in federal arrests last week against La Familia, a violent Mexican drug cartel. Major drug busts always capture national headlines, but one of the everyday problems in the area is a lack of good jobs, driving people into the underground economy. “We have more commuters that have to drive to other counties for higher paying jobs. All those things are connected with a less educated populace,” says Dan Evans, spokesperson for San Bernardino County schools. “It’s a cyclical trend. It kind of feeds upon itself. With a higher degree workforce, you’re going to attract higher degree employers.”

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Total population: 672,388
Population 18 and over, some high school, no degree: 13.10%
Individual median yearly earnings: $27,937

“We recognize that our drop out rate is significant and obviously the reason why is we have less than successful young people,” says Stockton Mayor Ann Johnston, a former teacher. Johnston is trying to address the problem head-on. She hosted the Stockton’s Promise Education Summit October 24 and invited 200 locals, from business owners to police officers, to come up with solutions to improve graduation rates. “I believe that it is a community problem. Just because the schools are the entity that are responsible for young people’s education does not mean they are wholly responsible,” she says.

Chris Schmidt

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Total population: 537,309
Population 18 and over, some high school, no degree: 13.41%
Individual median yearly earnings: $27,096

Richmond County Schools made $7.1 million in cuts this year. Hundreds of students and parents rallied at Laney High School in Augusta last Thursday to protest reduced after-school sports and music programs. “It’s a critical time right now, but we can’t give up and we can’t withdraw all services if we do that we’re going to be in really bad trouble,” says Betty Jones, executive director of MACH Academy, Inc., an after school sports and enrichment program for struggling kids. Yet the Richmond system expects more cuts in December, according to local news reports.

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Total population: 726,604
Population 18 and over, some high school, no degree: 15.05%
Individual median yearly earnings: $17,127

Imports and exports have flowed through this border area since the North American Free Trade Agreement came into effect in 1994. A tale of two cities has emerged: sprawling planned communities with six-figure homes in contrast with colonias, unincorporated areas that often lack basic city services. “Most of the people that come in from Mexico usually do not have a high school education, so that contributes to the numbers,” says Mario Reyna, dean of business and technology at South Texas College. McAllen remains one of the worst areas in the nation for median wage earnings, but a recent survey by the Brookings Institutions suggests it is recovering from the recession at a faster rate than most other large areas.

The 10 Worst Dropout Cities

Bad schools translate into high dropout rates. And those rates lead to depressed lifelong incomes. The Daily Beast crunches the numbers to determine the 10 cities that have lowest-percentages of high-school graduates.