More than 100,000 New Jersey students dropped out of high school in 2021.

School disconnection can determine a young person’s future and the entire trajectory of his or her family’s life. The missed opportunity of engaging all young people in school comes at a high cost of having an enduring economic and social impact on the local community and society at large. This challenge of keeping youth connected to their school communities has persisted for decades; however, the pandemic served to illuminate and exacerbate this issue, making it one that must urgently be addressed.

The economic and social impact are not consigned to a singular geographic region or racial/ethnic group; in New Jersey, youth disconnection rates are high across all counties and racial and ethnic groups. In fact, the highest per capita rate of youth disconnection is in rural Cumberland County where 23% of 16 to 24 year olds are neither in school, nor working. Essex County has the second highest rate of disconnection at 17% of young people. 

The impact of this level of school disengagement is not only felt by the families of the disengaged youth, but it is also felt by all residents of the State, as rising state taxes encumber all community members. 

The immediate tax burden for young people disconnected from school and/or employment in New Jersey is $13.9 billion a year. 

Disengaged youth are our community's greatest untapped resource. All young people can contribute to our society's economic and social landscape if provided with the tools and support needed to succeed. Action is necessary to ensure a systematic build out of viable pathways to post-secondary success that allow all young people to realize their full potential. The establishment of an Office of Dropout Prevention and Reengagement of Out-of-School Youth and the Student Dropout Prevention Task Force, through A398/S3080, could be an essential first step towards addressing the systemic issues resulting in student disengagement.