By Lisa Marshall

Principal investigator
Amanda Stevenson

Funding
Eunice Kennedy National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Collaboration + support
U.S. Census Bureau; University of Colorado Denvery

High school graduates hugging at graduation ceremonyWhen access to free and low-cost birth control is improved,Ìýthe percentage of young women who leave high school beforeÌýgraduating falls by double digits, according to a ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Boulder studyÌýthat followed 170,000 women for up to seven years.

The study focused on the Colorado Family Planning InitiativeÌý(CFPI), a 2009 program that widely expanded access toÌýcontraception across the state.

It found that high school graduation rates increased from 88%Ìýbefore CFPI was implemented to 92% after, and about half ofÌýthat gain was due to the program. Improvements in rates amongÌýHispanic women were even greater. In all, the program decreasedÌýthe percentage of young women who left school beforeÌýgraduating by 14%.

Put another way, an additional 3,800 Colorado women bornÌýbetween 1994 and 1996 received a high school diploma by ageÌý20 to 22 as a result of CFPI.