An Evaluation of the Waterbury Police Activity League

Many studies show a correlation between school dropout rates and delinquency. Nearly one-third of first-year U.S. high school students and one-half of African American and Hispanic students do not earn their diplomas on time. Students of lower socioeconomic status who reside in urban school districts are approximately 20 percent more likely to drop out of high school than students in suburban schools. High school dropouts are more likely to be unemployed, receive public assistance, and become teenage parents, compared to those who graduate high school.