Scary Stat: Just three-quarters of young Americans—and barely half of black and Latino students—are managing to graduate from high school on time. Really, this information just makes me angry. It's so, so easy, and free, to graduate from high school. For 98 percent of students, there is no excuse for not graduating. Students can get: free breakfast, free lunch, free books, free transportation back and forth. All they need to do is be dressed and at the bus stop in the morning, and do about 50 percent of their homework (in most classes). Is this so hard?