January 2013

• Every 1½ seconds during the school year a public school student receives an out-of-school suspension.*
• Every 8 seconds during the school year a public high school student drops out.*
• Every 19 seconds a child is arrested.
• Every 19 seconds a baby is born to an unmarried mother.
• Every 32 seconds a child is born into poverty.
• Every 30 seconds during the school year a public school student is corporally punished.*
• Every 47 seconds a child is abused or neglected.
• Every 72 seconds a baby is born without health insurance.
• Every 82 seconds a baby is born to a teen mother.
• Every 2 minutes a baby is born at low birthweight.
• Every 3 minutes a child is arrested for a drug offense.
• Every 7 minutes a child is arrested for a violent offense.
• Every 20 minutes a baby dies before his or her first birthday.
• Every hour a child dies from an accident.
• Every 3 hours and 15 minutes a child or teen is killed by a firearm.
• Every 6 hours a child commits suicide.
• Every 7 hours a child is killed by abuse or neglect.
• Every 9 hours a baby’s mother dies due to complications from pregnancy or childbirth.

* Based on 180 school days of seven hours each. The calculation for suspensions is based on data that show that 2,923,895 students received one or more out-of-school suspensions in 2009 but that do not show the exact number of suspensions each student received. As a result, we are underreporting the actual suspension rate. The rate for corporal punishment is underreported for the same reason

Learn more stats about the state of children in America on our Each Day in America page.