Hi Tim,
I've found two sources that talk about this possible correlation. One from Illinois http://www.hmprg.org/assets/ro...20Policy%20Brief.pdf
The other a conference paper by James Topitzes. which was presented at The Society for Social Work and Research 2014 Annual Conference. The paper can be found at Research Gate.com at https://www.researchgate.net/p...h_Mediation_Analyses
I think what research that has been done on ACES is relatively small because the ACE survey was done with adults through a medical lens and all the original participants were college educated workers in the health industry, so that study did not survey any high school dropouts. Since then, because of the groundswell of awareness of the prevalence of ACES, I think there may be more studies at the state level that correlates education levels achieved. The hard part of actually gathering statistical data is how to find and communicate with those who dropped out of high school. How does one connect with this demographic? Perhaps through a group known to have had a high likelihood of dropping out of school - such as the prison population. This leads me to wonder if there are any studies currently being done with this population.
Perhaps other members will know of any current studies that provide more direct stats on dropouts and ACES. I am an educator (and retired public school administrator) now providing training to school districts and school administrators on how to become trauma-informed. Your question is of great interest to me, so I am hoping others will have additional information.
Best of luck in your search.
Susan Ciminelli http://whitewaveseducation.com & http://traumasensitiveclassrooms.com