Ladder Up

•Over 2.2 million students drop out of high school each year in the U.S.—one every 15 seconds (National Center of Education).

•Disengaged students in middle school are 3x more likely to drop out before 10th grade (Balfanz & Byrnes, Johns Hopkins).

•Over 4 million youth aged 16–24 are “disconnected”—not in school and not working—often because they were never guided early on (Measure of America, 2022).

Students in underserved communities are up to 7x less likely to have access to STEM enrichment, coding, or entrepreneurship programs in school (Brookings, 2023).

Black and Hispanic students make up only 14% of students in career technical education (CTE) programs that offer strong industry connections, despite being over 40% of the student population (U.S. Department of Ed, 2023).

By age 16, students from affluent families are twice as likely to have participated in job shadowing, internships, or summer academic programs (Georgetown CEW, 2021).

According to Gallup, student engagement drops sharply starting in 6th grade, and by 8th grade, only 33% of students feel engaged in school.

Students who are chronically absent in middle school are more than 7 times as likely to drop out of high school (Johns Hopkins University).

Only 1 in 5 U.S. students say they often participate in career-related learning at school (Gallup & Carnegie, 2020).

Less than 25% of high school grads complete a career pathway or credential that leads to a living-wage job without college (ExcelinEd, 2023).

High school GPA is the strongest predictor of college success, but low-income students are more likely to lack support to maintain strong grades (U.S. Department of Education, 2022).

Most middle schoolers can’t name more than 5 career paths outside of what they see on TV or social media (ACTE Career Readiness Survey).

Only 18% of middle school students say they have talked to an adult (teacher or counselor) about future jobs or careers (Junior Achievement, 2022).

•42% of middle schoolers report experiencing high levels of stress or anxiety regularly (American Psychological Association)

•Self-esteem tends to plummet during middle school, especially among girls, contributing to mental health risks and academic disengagement

40% of high school students felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2023 (CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2023)

Students who don’t see real-world relevance in what they’re learning are 2.5 times more likely to disengage or skip school (American Institutes for Research, 2022)

Employers say that critical thinking, collaboration, and communication—key soft skills—should start being built by middle school, yet less than 30% of schools offer direct training in these areas (Brookings, 2023).

The average middle schooler spends over 6 hours a day on screens, with less than 1 hour spent in physical activity (Common Sense Media).

Overexposure to social media has been linked to higher rates of depression, body image issues, and poor concentration in adolescents.