Of the nearly 121,000 students who graduated from ninth grade this spring, almost 18,000 students (almost 15 percent) were not eligible for upper secondary school, because their grades were not sufficient. Conversely, it was 85.2 percent of the ninth graders who passed the eligibility requirements, which is a marginal improvement from the previous academic year’s 85.0 percent, the National Education Agency’s statistics show.
“More students need to complete primary school because we know that it is one of the most important preventive efforts to avoid long-term exclusion,” comments Anders Palm, head of unit at the authority, in a press release.
The statistics also show that the boys have pushed the girls a bit. In general, a larger percentage of girls than boys are qualified and girls also tend to have a higher merit value (average grade). But during the last school year, the boys’ results have improved somewhat.
In the spring of 2023, 85.8 percent of the girls and 84.6 percent of the boys were eligible for a national program.
The girls’ average merit value (for 16 subjects) was 229.7 and the boys’ was 211.9. In recent academic years, the girls’ merit value has fallen while the boys’ average has increased.