The risk of school dropout among youth in formal and informal kinship foster care

Students in out of home care (OOHC) are at high risk for school dropout. However, little is known about how different types of OOHC (e.g., formal vs informal kinship) predict dropout rates. Utilizing event history analysis, and a racially diverse cohort of 134,263 high school students (30% Black; 11% Latino; 48% female), the authors examined the relationship between OOHC type and dropout, controlling for predisposing (e.g., economic disparity) and educational disengagement factors (e.g., middle school academic performance). OOHC youth (n = 2,143), including youth in informal kinship, congregate, and non-kinship family care, dropped out of school at higher rates than youth not in OOHC. However, co-varied disengagement and predisposing factors, which OOHC youth experience at higher rates, explained much of the association between OOHC and placement. Further, significant differences did not emerge in a comparison between different types of OOHC. We provide implications for child welfare and educational policy and practice.