The Facts

Achievement Academy of Durham directly addresses the problem of high school dropouts.

Gayle Erdheim with a 2009 Graduate

  • Durham has a four-year graduation rate of only 63%1
  • North Carolina’s graduation rate, 65.2%, was ranked 38th in the nation2
  • North Carolina’s graduation rate for African American students was 45.4%3
  • North Carolina’s graduation rate for Hispanic students was 49.5%3
  • North Carolina’s graduation rate for Caucasian students was 69.8%3
Education Level Median Annual Earnings
Below 9th Grade Education $18,868
9th – 12th Grade Education – Dropout $20,506
HS or GED Graduate $27,384
Some College $31,789
Associate’s Degree $35,274
Bachelor’s Degree and Above $50,929

1 North Carolina Four Year Cohort Graduation Report for Durham Public Schools, 2004 – 05 Entering 9th Graders Graduating in 2007-08 or Earlier

2 National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, 2006

3 Graduation in the United States, Recent Gains at Risk of Eroding, 2006, Ed Week, EPE Research Center

Quella's Story

I am 17. When I was younger, my father slapped me around most of the time and my mother didn’t have time for me. One night when my father came home drunk, he beat me very badly. That was the first time in my life that I ever fought back, but it didn’t help me at all. That was the beginning of me rebelling against my father.

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