The state of Georgia needs to raise the age of dropping out to 18 instead of 16. 16 Is too young of an age to make such a large, life-changing decision. So many students drop out if high school every day. 45,173 kids dropped out of high school from 2007-2011 in Georgia alone. 30,751 dropped out in just 2011 alone. An estimated 1.3 million students drop out a year. 68% of dropouts become state prison inmates. 72% dropouts are more likely to be unemployed. It’s harder to get a job with a GED and even more impossible without a GED. One dropout costs the nation about $260,000 in lost earnings, taxes, and productivity. As of 2012, the statistics show a total of 3,030,000 Americans are dropping out. That’s an average of 8,300 per day. 36% of dropouts occur in the ninth grade. 72% of crimes committed are by dropouts. Nearly 1.2 million students between the age of 15 and 24, drop out in one year alone. Dropouts are more likely to commit crimes, abuse drugs and alcohol, become teenage parents, live in poverty, and commit suicide. Let’s try to make a positive difference in a young student’s life.