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Revelations about the impact of social exclusion on young people has prompted criticism of the government's record.
Research has suggested that in one northern city, one in seven young people not in education, employment or training (Neets) died within 10 years of falling out of the system.
Director general of schools Jon Coles said he has seen research which shows that keeping pupils in schools or training is a "matter of life and death".
The top civil servant added that Neets can fall into a downward spiral resulting in them dying "very, very young".
The education expert told a London conference: "This was brought home to me very sharply about 18 months ago in one city in the north.
"They had done a piece of work that examined what had happened to the long term Neets of 10 years ago, where were they now and what had become of them.
"They found one profoundly shocking thing, which I still find profoundly shocking today, and that is of those long term Neets of 10 years ago those who had been outside the system for a long period of time 15 per cent of those young people were dead by the time that research was done."
Shadow schools secretary Michael Gove said of the findings: "The prospects for those young people that are not in education, training or employment are truly shocking.
"Far from the government getting to grips with this problem over the past 10 years, it was actually getting worse before the current recession began."
A spokesman from the Department for Children, Schools and Families would not confirm which city Coles had been referring to or provide details about the research.
"It is clear that young people who are Neet are at greater risk of poor health and negative outcomes in later life," he added.
"The official made clear that this was one bit of local research."
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd