What is an acceptable failure rate in an entry level programming course? I'm teaching an entry level programming course at a local college.  About 2/3 of the class is getting a b or higher.  The last 1/3 are getting f's.  I attribute most of the f's to failure to do assignments and pay attention in class.  Is it okay to fail a third of the class?  Are there any strategies anyone has that could help me out? Thanks in advance.
It seems too late to do anything about it now: You need something to base a grade on, and if no assignments are handed in, than that is that for that student. However, for the future, you need to ask why so many students did not participate. Maybe they weren't the intended audience anyhow. In that case, you may want to change the description of the course, so they find that out before joining the class. Maybe they were overwhelmed, and lost hope. In that case you can think of ways of catching them early, so you can help them before the problems become too big.

If failing one third is too much (or too little) depends on the circumstances. Experienced educators in your department can tell you that. Depending on your department you may want to talk to the department head, or the person coordinating the teaching duties.