Imagine dropping out of school and soon your relationships with family, friends and loved ones begin to fail. What would you do? Many young Americans are dropping out of school, which has many consequences in many aspects of their lives. Dropouts' relationships are ruined because they have limited education. High school dropouts have little or no chance of finding employment. There are many advantages to raising the school leaving age to 18. Dropping out of school should be prohibited because it has many long-term consequences for individuals and society. Between 3.5 million and 6 million young Americans drop out of high school (Flowering). About a million students fail to graduate (Koenig). Dropping out of high school will prevent students from going to college. Studies show that if a student drops out of high school, the crime rate will be higher (Kokemuller). According to professional statistics, in 2010 the percentage of school dropouts reached a maximum of seven percent (Henry). At sixteen, if a student dropped out of high school, they would need a parent to sign for them, and many parents also believe that their children need an education. In 2006, approximately sixty-seven births to dropouts occurred outside of marriage, compared to ten percent of births to women who earned their master's degree and high school diploma (Bloom). The consequences are numerous for high school dropouts. In addition to relational suffering, dropping out of school has many consequences (Bloom). A dropout's relationship with family, friends, and loved ones can fail dramatically (Kokemuller). Dropouts will have poor outcomes in life, for example... middle of paper......graduating from school every year. Raising the school dropout age will reduce the number of problems students encounter after high school. Relationships with friends, family and loved ones of dropouts can suffer from lack of education. Works Cited Campbell, Sandra L. “What are the downsides of dropping out of high school? Daily life. NP, 2013. Web. November 4, 2013. Koenig, Claire. "Silver Chips Online: Pros/Cons: Should MCPS raise the high school dropout age from 16 to 18?" Silver Chips Online: Pros/Cons: Should MCPS raise the high school dropout age from 16 to 18? Np, March 14, 2012. Web. November 4, 2013.Kokemuller, Neil. “What are the disadvantages of dropping out of high school? » The classroom. NP, 2013. Web. November 4, 2013.Bloom, Dan. “Helping high school dropouts improve their prospects.” The Brookings Institution. Np, spring 2010. Web. November 4. 2013.