The county fared slightly better than the state, which posted a four-year dropout estimate of 24.2 percent – nearly one in four students.
The new statistics, based on the 2006-07 school year, painted a grim picture of a crisis that educators Wednesday said exacts an enormous cost on society.
“It represents a tremendous loss of potential,” said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell.
The statistics were particularly alarming among Hispanic and black students statewide. An estimated 30.3 percent of Hispanic students drop out of school between ninth and 12th grade, while more 41.6 percent of black students will drop out over that period.
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