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Graduation Rates
Graduation Exam - Utah Basic Skills & Competency Test
1 in 5 Fail Basic Exit Exam
In the class of 2008, 1 in 5 high school graduates failed the Utah Basic Skills & Competency Test (UBSCT). This means that 29.2% of Utah's class of 2008 either failed a basic exit exam or did not graduate (as measured by the USOE). This fact does not bode well for Utah when you consider the costs of dropping out and the correlation between test scores and economic performance.
About the Utah Basic Skills & Competency Test
All public high school students must pass the UBSCT in order to receive a basic high school diploma, although alternative diplomas are given to students who fail the UBSCT. Students first take it in the 10th grade and have a total of 5 attempts to pass all three parts of the exam (math, reading, and writing).
As its name indicates, the UBSCT tests basic skills and competency.
UBSCT Results for Graduating Class of 2008
Utah State Office of Education1
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The Costs of Dropping Out
The costs of dropping out of high school to both the dropout and society as a whole are astounding.
- $260,000 less in income versus high school graduates.
- $1 million less in income versus college graduates.
- 3 times more likely to be unemployed.
- 1/2 as likely to be in excellent or very good health.
- 8 times as likely to be in jail or prison.
Graduation Rates
According to Education Week's most recent report, Utah's Class of 2006 had the 26th best graduation rate in the nation at 72.2%. The national average was 69.2%.
Graduation Rates, Class of 2006
Education Week
Utah (%) | U.S. (%) | |
| ALL STUDENTS | 72.2 | 69.2 |
*Graduation rates by demographic were not available for the class of 2006.
Graduation Rates by Demographic, Class of 2005
Education Week
Utah (%) | U.S. (%) | |
| ALL STUDENTS | 78.6 | 70.6 |
BY GENDER | ||
| Male | 76.1 | 67.8 |
| Female | 85.2 | 75.3 |
BY RACE & ETHNICITY | ||
| Native American | 50.6 | 50.6 |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 76.9 | 81.3 |
| Hispanic | 53.6 | 57.8 |
| Black | 58.2 | 55.3 |
| White | 84.0 | 77.6 |
Utah's Graduation Rates are Falling
In 2004, we were number one. A year later we were number 8. Now, in Education Week’s most recent report on U.S. high school graduation rates, Utah ranked 26th at 72.2%, just three percentage points above the national average. In fact, Utah’s graduation rate has fallen more than any other state, save one, since 1996.
Graduation Rates, Utah & U.S., 1996 to 2006
