In 2012, more than 18,000 students failed to finish high school. That will cost Arizona $7.6 billion over their lifetimes, according to a report by the Arizona Mayor’s Education Roundtable.

But if Arizonans could cut that dropout rate in half, it would generate more than $3.8 billion in economic benefits to the state, the report said.

Efforts to improve rates:

Mayors Work To Improve Arizona Dropout Rates, Negative Economic Impacts _ KJZZ.pdf