Lack of support causes high school drop outs

HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) - A national survey released Wednesday found that the most common reason students drop out of high school is a lack of support.

The Everest College survey out of Los Angeles also found that many students dropped out after becoming parents themselves, or they missed too many classes because of illness or family issues.

The Holyoke Community College Gateway Program works with students who struggle with the traditional high school format.

According to Vivian Ostrowski, the Director of Gateway to College at HCC, "They're high school students but they're also college students so they have a college schedule, they can get a kid to day care and be here to start class at 9 or 9:30, they only have to be there when they have college classes."

Kaitlyn Mainville of Palmer told 22News, "It's not that all of us don't want to learn it's that we're in a better environment now, being in our high schools it wasn't a good environment for us to learn that's why we didn't succeed there."

The survey also found that the biggest barrier for pursuing a GED is a lack of time.