American Indian and Alaska Native students in Washington suffer from the highest dropout rate, according to the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Indian students in grades nine through 12 dropped out of high school at a rate of 11.5 percent during the 2007-2008 school year. That was higher than the rate among Asian/Pacific Islander, African-American, Hispanic and White students, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported.

The state is taking more steps to curb the rate by including tribal history and culture in the public school curriculum. It took five years to secure funding and consult with tribes and educators to create a new program that 17 schools have joined.

Get the Story:
Native American students and dropouts: Confronting the problem (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 3/22)

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Study finds low graduation rate for Indian students (02/17)