Completion rates of pupils in upper secondary education, 2010

Seventy per cent of the pupils who started a basic course in 2005 had completed upper secondary education five years later. Pupils with high marks are more likely to complete upper secondary education than pupils with lower marks. Ninety-eight per cent of pupils with at least 55 lower secondary school points finish upper secondary education within five years, compared with eight per cent of pupils who achieve fewer than 25 points.

Small gender differences within same group of school points achieved

The percentage of pupils that completes upper secondary education within the five year period is larger for girls than boys; 75 and 64 per cent respectively. However, if lower secondary school points are taken into account, the trend is very similar for both genders. Of the pupils with at least 50 school points, more than 95 per cent finish upper secondary education within five years, and the gender differences are very small in this group. The gender differences in throughput are also small within the other groups of school points, but girls are far more likely than boys to have a high number of points from lower secondary school.

Almost all pupils with 55 points or more complete upper secondary school

A larger percentage of pupils in general areas of study complete upper secondary education, compared with pupils in vocational studies. For the cohort that started upper secondary education for the first time in 2005, 83 per cent of pupils in general studies had completed the education within five years. The same was true for 57 per cent of the pupils in vocational areas of study. These findings are somewhat modified if marks from lower secondary school are taken into consideration. When dividing pupils into groups according to school points achieved, the differences between pupils who start general studies and pupils who start vocational studies are relatively small. In the group of pupils with 55 points or more, 98 per cent of pupils who start general studies complete upper secondary education within five years, compared with 99 per cent of pupils who start vocational studies. However, the majority in the latter group achieve a general qualification rather than a vocational qualification.

Almost 50 per cent of pupils complete in three years

About half of the pupils in the 2007 cohort achieved a certificate within three years. Almost 30 per cent are still in upper secondary education, and the majority are apprentices. Persons that take a vocational examination usually have an expected education period of four years, and are therefore unlikely to have completed upper secondary within three years. In total, the throughput after three years has been stable since 2005. There has, however, been a slight decrease in the percentage of pupils in vocational studies that complete the education within three years. At the same time, there has been a slight increase in the percentage of pupils in general studies who complete the education within three years. The majority of pupils that complete in three years achieve a general qualification, also among those who originally started a vocational education.

Tables:

• Table 1 Pupils who started a basic course for the first time in 1994, 1998, 2002, 2004 and 2005, by completed upper secondary education whithin five years, and gender. Per cent
• Table 2 Pupils who started a basic course for the first time in 2005, by completed upper secondary education within five years, areas of study and gender. Per cent
• Table 3 Pupils who started a basic course for the first time in 2005, by completed upper secondary education within five years, gender and parents' level of education. Per cent
• Table 4 Pupils and who started a basic course for the first time in 2005, by completed upper secondary education within five years, gender and county of residence at 16 years of age. Per cent
• Table 5 Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents who started a basic course for the first time in 2005 by completed upper secondary education within five years, gender and country background. Per cent
• Table 6 Pupils who started a basic course for the first time in 2005, by completed upper secondary education whitin five years, by areas of study, age and final qualification.Per cent
• Table 7 Pupils who started a basic course for the firste time in 2005, by completed upper secondary education within five years, lower secondary school points and gender. Per cent
• Table 8 Pupils who started a basic course for the first time in 2005, by completed upper secondary education within five years, lower secondary school points and areas of study. Per cent
• Table 9 Pupils who started a basic course for the first time in 2005,2006 and 2007, by completed upper secondary education whithin three years, and areas of study. Per cent