With a proven ability to help children avoid negative behaviors, BBBS mentoring can help to minimize some of the costs associated with drop-out rates, violence, and delinquency.

The Costs:

• A high-school dropout earns about $260,000 less over a lifetime than a graduate, and pays about $60,000 less in taxes.¹

• Because high-school graduates are less likely to commit crimes, increasing the high school completion rate by just 1% for all men ages 20-60 would reduce costs in the criminal justice system by as much as $1.4 Billion per year. ²

• A one-year increase in average years of schooling for dropout would reduce murder and assault by almost 30%, motor vehicle theft by 20%, arson by 13%, and burglary and larceny by about 6%.³

The Savings:

Washington State Institute for Public Policy

The Washington State Institute for Public Policy has conducted several cost benefit analyses of prevention and early intervention programs in the state of Washington.

Big Brothers Big Sisters was found to have positive benefits. For every taxpayer dollar spent on the program, a benefit of $3.28 was gained.⁴

1] The Campaign for Education Equity at Teacher’s College: reported in NYTimes OpEd Section, 11.7.2005

2] The Campaign for Education Equity at Teacher’s College: reported in NYTimes OpEd Section, 11.7.2005

3] The Campaign for Education Equity at Teacher’s College: reported in NYTimes OpEd Section, 11.7.2005