RALEIGH, N.C. -- The number of North Carolina high school students who dropped out during the 2006-2007 school year was the highest in seven years, and statistics show the number dropping out of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is likewise growing.

A report given to the State Board of Education on Thursday said 23,550 students dropped out of North Carolina public schools during the last academic year, slightly less than the 23,597 students who dropped out in 1999-2000.

The dropout rate in 2006-2007 was 5.24 percent -- the highest in five years.

The report said 43 percent of the state's 115 school districts reported a decrease in their dropout rate. Washington, Clay and Camden each reported about a 50 percent decrease.

In CMS, the dropout rate is up by about 800 students when compared to the 2005-2006 school year. Superintendent Peter Gorman said Thursday that last year the district changed the way it calculates and tracks dropouts, so that’s one of the reasons the number is larger than before.

“I think we did a better job of having accurate information, and my guess is, we also had an increase in the number of students who dropped out of school here as well,” he said.

A breakdown of the numbers shows most of the students who dropped out are black. Gorman said the district must do a better job of reaching out to at-risk children.

“We do have a vast majority of our students who drop out that live in poverty. They qualify for free or reduced lunch, and we do have a disproportionate amount of students who qualify for free or reduced lunch who are African-American, Hispanic or non-English speakers,” he said.

Barb Pellin, the assistant principal of support programs, said the numbers are going to make CMS take a deeper look at the programs the district has in place to keep children in school.

“I think the numbers help us cope with the reality of what we're working with, and we need to step back and look at the programs and sort through what's working and what may not be working,” she said.

State Board of Education Chairman Howard Lee said the state report is troubling. He said the state needs to make sure high school students understand that a high school diploma is the minimum for economic survival.

PDF: Annual Report On Dropout Rates 2006-2007