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Montana’s high drop-out rate defies efforts to keep kids in school

September 5, 2010 /

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Jesse Cullinan never pictured himself as a high school dropout — a firefighter or a Marine, yes — but a dropout, no.

After being sick and missing school for days at a time, Cullinan began to get behind during his junior year and never got caught up. Two months before school finished, he decided to call it quits and see if he could start over by earning his general educational development diploma.

"I guess I was just discouraged," the 17-year-old said.

A recent national study showed that Montana’s drop-out rate among students from 16 to 19 years old was 9 percent, the sixth-highest drop-out rate in the nation. The Montana Office of Public Instruction’s data show that for students in grades nine through 12, Montana’s drop-out rate is 5.1 percent.

By KRISTEN CATES • Tribune Staff Writer

Full Story: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20100905/NEWS01/9050301/Montana-s-high-drop-out-rate-defies-efforts-to-keep-kids-in-school