High school dropout rate tops 20% and shows a strong correlation with rising crime rates

The high school dropout rate has risen sharply in the last decade, and educators claim it is a key factor in Ecuador’s epidemic of violence. According to presenters at the 2026 Adolescence Summit, held in Quito May 14 and 15, 21.5% of the country’s high school students do not finish the 12th grade.

The 2026 Adolescence Summit earlier this month in Quito

The rate compares with a 13.5% rate in 2015 as reported by the Education Ministry.

The 2026 numbers show a strong correlation between dropout rates and provinces with the highest rates of crime, including murders. Guayas, Manabí, Los Ríos, El Oro and Esmeraldas, the five most violent provinces, all have dropout rates above 30%. By contrast, most provinces in the country’s sierra and Amazon regions, where crime rates are low, have rates of less than 10%.

Summit participant Carlos Hidalgo, former deputy minister Education Ministry, calls the dropout rate a “national crisis” that requires immediate attention. “The government is focused on fighting crime and arresting criminals, but we hear very little about investing in efforts to provide students with a high-quality education and keep them in school,” he says. “The connection between dropouts and criminal gangs is well-established in the most violent region of the country. Dropouts are easy prey for the gangs.”

Hidalgo claims public education has been “short-changed” by the government in recent years. “Adjusted for inflation, funding for schools has actually declined in the last seven years,” he says. “Many schools are in terrible physical condition with leaking roofs and non-functioning bathrooms. Many classrooms have become unusable because of damage and neglect. In some areas, teachers are even forced to buy books and supplies for their students.”

Hidalgo asks, “Is it a surprise that students are dropping out when they see the low priority the government puts on the schools?”

Hidalgo is not the only one complaining about poor funding for public education. Jonathan Morales of the Guayaquil Chamber of Industries says his members are seeing a decline in the number of employable high school graduates. “There needs to be national agenda to address the condition of education in the country,” he says. “Of course, we must invest in fighting crime but not at the expense of the schools, and not at the expense of our young people. The high rate of dropouts is not only increasing crime, but it’s hurting businesses that need a well-educated work force.”

In addition to the dropout crisis, presenters at the summit reported that cases of depression and suicide are rising among Ecuador’s young people. A representative from UNICEF Ecuador claimed the suicide rate of students has risen almost 50% in 10 years.

The Adolescence Summit is part of the Raise Your Voice project, privately funded by businesses, civic and education organizations.