Characteristics of GED Recipients in High School: 2002–06

This issue brief from the National Center for Education Statistics compares GED recipients to high school graduates and dropouts without a GED, during high school. It describes various demographic characteristics of GED recipients, and compares GED recipients to high school graduates and dropouts without a GED by 10th-grade participation in school, academic achievement, and plans for postsecondary education two years later, in 12th grade. The brief also explores the reasons GED recipients reported for leaving high school and obtaining a GED credential. This issue brief draws on data from the base-year study and first and second follow-ups of the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002).