Dropouts lose an endless world of possibilities in their lives when they drop out of high school, so the State of Missouri is trying to divert kids from making a poor choice by raising the dropout age to 17. According to Missouri Department of Education, the dropout rate in Missouri rose from 3.3% in 2003 to 4.2% in the 2007-2008 school year.

What many of those dropouts don't take into consideration is the fact on average high school graduates make about $30,000 a year and a dropout makes about $24,000 a year. After 10 years the graduate will have earned over $60,000 more then the dropout. Also another thing man don't take into consideration is the dropout won't have nearly as many job opportunities as the graduate. High school graduates can get jobs such as a chef, cosmetologist, travel agent, and human resource assistant but dropouts often struggle to find jobs which pay above minimum wage. 

Senior Austin Hunter really thinks Missouri raising the dropout age to 17 could be really beneficial to the school and also to the students. "Most students are seniors by the time they are 17, so this would make them closer to graduation so they might just want to end up finishing school." Austin also said, "Kids that dropout have great job opportunities such as working at McDonald's, Burger King, or even Wal-Mart!" He said that dropping out is a good way to throw your life away.

CHS Assistant Principal Mr. Scott Archibald says, "I think this is a good idea because most kids are closer to graduation by the age 17 then they are when they are 16, I think it's a better thing; we need to keep the kids in school."

Mr. Archibald thinks too many kids jump into a long-term decision with a short-term mindset. "Kids need to understand the importance of their education." Mr. Archibald also talks about some of the reasons kids drop which can range to kids simply don't care about school from they are having trouble financially and need to have a job. He said, "Not having a high school diploma, some employers won't even look at you, let alone higher you, and in the future you could have trouble providing for your family." Before a student decides to make a drastic decision, Mr. Archibald wants them to at least talk to someone. Mr. Archibald explained, "I care about every student here and them getting an education and succeeding."

The counselors are very in favor of the change. CHS Guidance Counselor Mr. Edd Green said, ''I think this is a good idea because any one year can make a big difference when a student is thinking about dropping out." Mr. Green said this law will give the kids the time they need to decide and hopefully consider some other options. "The biggest thing that we [the school] try to do is to help the kids and explore all possible options which could include alternative school or vocational school because sometimes the kid might not be able to learn in a normal learning environment."