No Internet = No High School Diploma? Data to Identify Counties at-risk of Increased Dropout Rates during the COVID-19 Pandemic

These secondary data originate from a study on the pre-pandemic association between high school dropout rates and internet access in the home, while controlling for several other demographic, economic, and social factors affecting the high school dropout rate. As the coronavirus (COVID-19) forced many students into remote learning, our work sought to identify counties across the United States where dropout rates were already high – and could be exacerbated as vulnerable students lack a critical tool to help them complete their diplomas in an online world: reliable internet access.