NEW YORK

Since the 1980s, New York has supported numerous dropout prevention initiatives. The state legislature extended the reach of intervention approaches by promoting partnerships of schools or districts with postsecondary institutions or nonprofit entities.

State Attendance Improvement and Dropout Prevention funding, created in 1984, was amended in 2008 to require that one-third of the awards be granted to community-based organizations. The funding formula for State Attendance Improvement and Dropout Prevention programs is written in statute under Education Law § 3602(12)(f). Similarly, New York’s Liberty Partnerships Program offers grants to partnerships of postsecondary institutions, school districts, and community-based organizations that provide a variety of services to middle and high school students at risk of dropping out. Services include extended-day and summer programs, counseling, mentoring, college guidance, and course-taking experiences (New York State Education Law 612).

Since 2004, the state has reported the National Governors Association’s graduation rate and includes it in its state accountability system.

New York has not increased the compulsory attendance age since 2002, allowing young people to drop out of high school at age 16.  New York's maximum public school entitlement age is 21.