Percentage of First Nations students aged 12 to 17 years who have and have not dropped out of school, Canada, 2013-2015 – The Health of Canada’s Children and Youth

7.8.2 Percentage of First Nations students aged 12 to 17 years who have and have not dropped out of school, Canada, 2013-2015

Note:
The youth survey covered First Nations youth 12-17 years old, and therefore represents a large proportion of the school-aged population living on reserve and in northern First Nations communities.

Source: CICH graphic created using data adapted from the First Nations Information Governance Centre, Our Data, Our Stories, Our Future: The National Report of the First Nations Regional Early Childhood, Education and Employment Survey, (Ottawa: 2016). 104 pages.

Between 2013-2015, 84% of First Nations students aged 12 to 17 years living on reserve or in northern First Nations communities had not dropped out of school.

Of those who had dropped out of school, 56% had dropped out once and 44% had dropped out more than once.

The primary reasons for dropping out were: being bored or not interested (33%); problems with their peers or the school climate, such as bullying (23%); problems with teachers (22%); being kicked out (19%); or problems at home (12%).

Implications
First Nations youth have higher school drop-out rates than the general population. They face numerous barriers to school completion – many related to the social and economic contexts of their lives. However, their pathway to school completion is not necessarily straight, as many First Nations youth return to school after dropping out to attempt completion.