Graduation Rates of Athletes in School - Sarah Pepper

The topic I wanted to research about was the graduation rates of athletes in school in North America. I was expecting them to be quite low. I was shocked that almost 80% of athletes graduate. I also wanted to investigate whether there was a difference in graduation rates of females versus males.

There is quite a difference between the graduation rates of athletes and regular students. In fact, athletes have a higher graduation rate than other students. About 79% of athletes graduate, and only about 65% of regular students graduate. The graduation rate of athletes changes though, depending on the area that the school is in. If the school is located in an area with a high crime rate, the graduation rates of both athletes and regular students is less than in areas with lower crime rates.

There is also a difference in the graduation rates of male and female athletes. In general, female athletes have a higher graduation rate than male athletes. Females seem to be able to organize their schedule more to include time for school, where as males tend to focus mainly on the sports aspect of their lives.

The graduation rates of athletes in general have been rising in the past few years. Something surprising is that even though both male and female athletes have been rising, females still take the lead with an astonishing 87% graduating as of 2008. Males have a lower graduation rate as of 2008, being only 82%.

Even though in general the graduation rates have been rising, at some schools, they don’t work hard enough to make sure their athletes graduate. As a result, the graduation rates of athletes at those schools have been steadily falling. That makes the average graduation rate of athletes in the area lower, and it gives the school a bad reputation. The schools should make sure that their athletes concentrate on their schooling as well, because stupid athletes are something that no one wants.

In conclusion, this essay included many things about the graduation rates of athletes. It compared the graduation rates of athletes versus regular students and the rates of female athletes versus male athletes. It also states the percentages of athletes that have graduated, and it speaks quickly about schools with an extremely low athletic graduation rate.