Dropping Out of School and Its Consequences

Dropping out of school is everyone's problem, both in the family and in society. Adolescents must continue their studies.
Dropping Out of School and Its Consequences

Last update: 16 December, 2021

Dropping out of school is everyone’s problem, both in the family and in society. Adolescents who don’t continue their studies after completing high school or who don’t even get that far become a direct quarry of delinquency, economic dependency, or depression.

People who don’t complete their education tend to have low-paying jobs, so they could become frustrated. In addition, they negatively affect societies, as inequality increases and the probability of being able to perform jobs incorrectly increases.

However, it’s important to note that there are exceptions to these characteristics and that not all people will have the same fate. So that your child never becomes part of any of the groups mentioned above, in this text, we’ll offer you some suggestions that we believe you should put into practice starting now.

Remember, education starts in the home.

The causes that motivate the interruption of studies

Dropping out of school is a more common problem than it may seem, and there are various causes. Among them, we can cite the following:

  • The low economic resources of the family that encourage the child to enter the work environment before finishing their studies
  • Teen pregnancy
  • The negative influences of the family environment in which the young person lives, their friends, neighbors, and the rest of the society in which they live
  • Early addictions to drugs such as cigarettes and alcohol for which you need to spend a large money
  • Poor performance, bullying, negative experiences, little interest, many distractions, or lack of support that they may receive in your educational center

A recent study in Japan showed that one of the main causes of dropping out of school is a late start of education. At the same part, smoking and serious personal and family problems also have a great influence.

The study cited above also shows that 18% of teens drop out in their 3rd year of high school. In addition, males have a higher dropout rate, making up more than 50% of the cases.

Every day, there are thousands of pretexts that can drive minors to divorce themselves from the educational system and dedicate themselves to other tasks; However, just as there are negative influences, there are also positive ones, and these are the ones that should be encouraged from home to keep kids from dropping out of school.

Below, we’ll talk about them.

Make studying attractive to them

A young boy who doesn't want to study.

The whole family must contribute directly in order to stimulate their little ones to enjoy research and study. That should be one of the first goals.

For a child to be interested in studying, they must find it truly attractive in order to inquire, ask, read, and seek information from various sources on a specific topic.

Help them by suggesting problems and asking questions that may catch their attention so that they want to find an answer on their own.

To enhance all this, it’s better if mom or dad, or the two of them together, accompany them in their studies. It doesn’t matter if the research is focused on finding what other utensils besides wires can be used when blowing soap bubbles.

Any time and any subject are ideal for getting children used to the fact that knowledge doesn’t take up space, and that it’s great to know the truth behind things, and to learn about different subjects.

Never talk about or treat anything that has to do with school as punishment or something bad

If your child is playing, don’t force them to leave recreation to go do their homework. Rather than forcing them, convince them to dedicate a certain time of day to it. They need to get used to sticking to the routine every day without sacrificing their playtime or their grades.

When they’re sick and you decide not to take them to school, don’t threaten him with: “If you don’t take a nap, I’m taking you to school.”

Satisfy their basic needs

You, as a mother, have the responsibility of supporting your children financially during their years of studies while they’re young or contributing together with their father and family, so that your child has their basic needs met: Food, studies, health, etc.

You should put any concerns about financial deprivation, accounts payable, low income, or unemployment out of their mind.

Your child shouldn’t worry about adult issues. Nor should you occupy their little mind in looking for some way to work to contribute to the family’s support.

It’s not yet time for that.

Reward them

Rewards are important when it comes to stimulating a child. Of course, they shouldn’t become a payment that they expect to receive every time they get a good grade. Rather, they should be an encouragement that you give them every so often to remind them of how happy you are with their performance, how proud you feel, or how good it is to do well in school and behave as you’ve taught them to.

Dropping out of school: A problem that can be avoided

A young boy crying at his desk.

Mom, if you want to prevent your son from leaving school early, make sure they don’t become an internet addict. It’s essential that they not stay up late playing video games, because the next day, they won’t have the strength to get up and that, little by little, will demotivate them.

Keep him away from bad influences. It’s not up to you to choose their friends, but it’s always good to keep an eye on who they bring home, especially if they’re going through the difficult stage of adolescence when they feel an urgent need to be part of the group, listen to what their friends say, and worst of all, follow them on their adventures.

Dropping out of school can be avoided.


All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.


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  • Unicef. (2018). Early warning systems for students at risk of dropping out. Unicef Series on Education Participation and Dropout Prevention. https://www.allinschool.org/reports-and-guidance/early-warning-systems-students-at-risk-dropping-out 

This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.