Today, we live in a technologically advanced world with high standards. The government stresses the importance of education in order to succeed individually and as a nation. The government funds public education (free education) to provide all kids with an opportunity of obtaining an education. Currently, most jobs require at least a high school diploma from their employees. Yet, every day thousands of teenagers in the United States are dropping out of high school. You might say well why does this concern me? It is their decision so why should I care? High school dropouts are both an economic and social problem. Those who quit high school and do not obtain a high school diploma have a harder time obtaining a job, and when they do, more often than not it is a low pay. This means that they must apply for government aid. Government programs like welfare, and medicaid. This means that you're taxes are going to all those students who decide to not finish high school instead of going to other facilities in need. If the United States likely dropouts from the class of 2006 had graduated, the nation could have saved more than 17 billion dollars in medicaid and expenditures for uninsured health over the course of those people's lifetime.(link to the article) Students failure to complete high school can affect the individual and the people around him as well. By not continuing school, students may pick up unwanted habits because they do not have a distraction. Thia may also cause the student, sometime later in life, to feel alienated by society. They may feel as if they are not as good as everyone else who did complete high school. High school dropouts are an economic, educational, and social problem that we as a society should try and solve.