A final component of this research tracked the welfare status of
dropouts. Even though the median wage was considerably
different for dropouts and graduates, the percentage continuing on
welfare fell dramatically for both groups. Approximately a year
and a half after entering the labor market, 90 percent of the
dropouts were no longer receiving welfare; after a comparable
period of time, 94 percent of graduates were no longer receiving
welfare (Karier 1998).