Report: Class of '08 dropouts lose state $11B over lifetime

If every Illinois student who entered high school in 2004 had earned a diploma this year, the state's economy could have benefited from an additional $11 billion in the long run. That money would have come in the form of wages, taxes and productivity during these students' lifetimes, according to a study released this month by the Alliance For Excellent Education, an organization that advocates for at-risk middle and high school students by promoting education funding and reform to ensure graduation. About 1.2 million students in the U.S. dropped out of the Class of 2008, states the study. The average annual income of a high school dropout in 2005 was about $10,000 less than a high school graduate's, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Suc