BUFFALO, N.Y. (NEWSnet/AP) — Girls are graduating at a higher rate than boys at public high schools in the U.S.

Interviews with students, educators and researchers point to several factors. Men typically can earn the same wage as women with less education. But boys also are more likely to face suspension or other discipline, knocking them off track, and they don't pursue help as frequently when they face mental health challenges.

Some boys are fine when they first drop out, landing jobs that provide steady income. But over the long-term, lacking a high school degree can be a detriment. Studies show young men who drop out of high school earn less money throughout their life and are more likely to end up in jail.

In some cases, boys aren't in as much of a hurry to graduate as girls because they haven’t needed a high school degree to cover rent and groceries, said Beth Jarosz, a program director at research organization PRB.

A man without a high school diploma often earns as much as a woman who has completed a year of college, Jarosz said.

The U.S. government doesn’t require states to report graduation data by gender. But in every state reporting high school graduation rates by gender, research shows female students graduate at a higher rate.

In 2018, about 88% of girls graduated on time compared with 82% of boys, according to researcher Richard Reeves based on data available from 37 reporting states. Reeves left Brookings Institution to launch American Institute for Boys and Men. The gap was still 6 percentage points in 2021, according to a follow-up analysis.

The gender gap has gone largely unaddressed by schools, but some have found developed a strategy.

Schools in Buffalo, N.Y., have incorporated initiatives from “My Brother’s Keeper,” a program started by former President Barack Obama to help boys succeed in school. Buffalo has enlisted education advocacy group Say Yes Buffalo to provide mentoring to male students and recruit men to teach, spokesman Jeffrey Hammond said. Even so, the urban district posted a 10-point graduation gender gap in 2022 (84%-74%) and an 11-point gap (84%-73%) in 2021.

Research is clear, Hammond wrote in an email: “Girls nationally succeed in school over boys because they are more apt to plan ahead, set academic goals and put forth effort in achieving these goals.” Plus, he said, girls receive fewer school suspensions, showing they are more likely to follow rules and receive more close instruction from teachers.

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