Hi,  

What percentage of kids in the United States graduate from college?

What are the three top reasons that kids in the US do not go to college?

What percentage of kids in the US drop out and do not finish high school?

Hello Kivo,

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What percentage of kids in the United States graduate from college?

Most estimates for this are in the range of 21% to 26%.

"Because only 21 percent of Americans graduate from four-year colleges,"
Philadelphia Inquirer 12/18/2002
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/living/education/4761942.htm

"With respect to college graduates it is important to note that only
about 23% of Americans graduate from college "
http://www.arch.ksu.edu/jwkplan/cases/13.htm

Only 25 percent of Americans graduate from a four-year university,
http://www.oxfordpress.com/op/338246867100901.bsp

Also, note that if you total up all the folks with a bachelor's degree
or higher, it comes to around 26 percent.
See: National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education
Statistics, Figure 5.
http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d02/ch_1f.asp#figure5

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What are the three top reasons that kids in the US do not go to college?

One survey of non-college bound students revealed the following as the
top three reasons for not going to college:

- The student struggled academically in high school (97%);
- The student did not enjoy school or academics (95%); and,
- The student?s family needs them to work to assist with family needs (92%)

source:
Important Factors to Graduating Seniors Electing to Not Attend College
ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT COMMUNITY PERCEPTION SURVEY, published by Texas State
http://www.harlingen.tstc.edu/ier/pdf/enrollment%20management.pdf

Also see:

"Non-College Bound
 Those students who choose not to attend college and decide to make a
direct transition into the work force are less academically oriented. 
They usually feel uncomfortable in an academic setting and decide that
the work force is a better fit...
  Along with their distorted image of their own capacities, many who
decide to transition directly into the work force are from lower
socioeconomic status, enrolled in vocational tracts throughout high
school and usually hold more hours at a part time job than those who
are planning to attend college (Owens, 1992)."
source: Transition from School to Work By: Rebecca Gale, hosted by bard.edu
http://inside.bard.edu/academic/specialproj/darling/transition/group213/article2.html

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What percentage of kids in the US drop out and do not finish high school?

About 11 percent.

source: National Center for Education Statistics: Status Dropout Rate
"The status dropout rate represents the percentage of an age group
that is not enrolled in school and has not earned a high school
credential (i.e., diploma or equivalent, such as a GED). According to
this measure, 11 percent of 16- to 24-year-olds were out of school
without a high school credential in 2001."
http://nces.ed.gov/ssbr/pages/dropout.asp

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search strategy:
"Americans graduate" college
"non college bound" "not attend"
"dropout rate" percent site:ed.gov

I hope this helps.

thanks