School leavers with higher qualifications

Relevance

Upper secondary school qualifications serve as the foundation for higher (post-secondary) learning and training opportunities as well as the preparation for direct entry into the labour market. Those who leave school early with few qualifications are at a much greater risk of unemployment or vulnerability in the labour force and of having low incomes.⁵¹

Current level and trends

In 2008, 71 percent of school leavers (37,000 students) left school with a qualification at NCEA Level 2 or above, an increase from the 2007 figure of 66 percent (37,000 students).⁵² Because of changes in the qualification structure, it is not possible to compare exactly the attainment of upper secondary school students who left school before 2003 with those who left school in 2003 and later. To illustrate the trend in higher school attainment over the long term, Figure K2.1 includes the proportion of school leavers who left with Higher School Certificate and above for the years 1986 to 2002.

Figure K2.1 Proportion of school leavers with Higher School Certificate or above, 1986–2002 and NCEA Level 2 or above, 2003, 2005–2008

Source: Ministry of Education
Notes: (1) A direct comparison cannot be made between rates up to and including 2002 with rates for 2003 on, due to the change in the qualification structure (see Appendix 2 for details). (2) Because of methodological changes, 2004 is not comparable with other years and has been omitted.

Sex differences

Female students are more likely than male students to leave school with an upper secondary school qualification. Between 2007 and 2008, the proportion of school leavers with NCEA Level 2 or above increased for both sexes but there was a slightly larger increase for females than for males. As a result, the sex difference in school attainment widened slightly between 2007 and 2008, from 9.3 percentage points to 9.7 percentage points.

Table K2.1 Proportion (%) of school leavers with NCEA Level 2 or above, by sex, 2003, 2005–2008

Source: Ministry of Education
Note: Because of methodological changes, 2004 is not comparable with other years and has been omitted.

Ethnic differences

The proportion of school leavers with upper secondary school qualifications varies widely by ethnic group. Asian students who left school in 2008 had the highest proportion with NCEA Level 2 or above, followed by European school leavers, then Pacific and Māori school leavers. Between 2007 and 2008, there was an increase in the proportion of students leaving with a qualification at NCEA Level 2 or above for all ethnic groups. The increase was greater for Māori and Pacific students than for European and Asian students.

Table K2.2 Proportion (%) of school leavers with NCEA Level 2 or above, by ethnic group, 2003, 2005–2008

Source: Ministry of Education
Notes: (1) Because of methodological changes, 2004 is not comparable with other years and has been omitted. (2) MELAA stands for Middle Eastern, Latin American, African.

Socio-economic differences

Young people from schools that draw their students from low socio-economic communities are less likely than other young people to attain higher school qualifications. In 2008, 57 percent of school leavers from deciles 1–3 schools (in the most disadvantaged communities) attained qualifications at NCEA Level 2 or above, compared with 67 percent of those leaving deciles 4–7 schools and 82 percent of those leaving deciles 8–10 schools.

Regional differences

The Wellington region had the highest proportion (77 percent) of 2008 school leavers with qualifications at NCEA Level 2 or above, followed by Nelson and Auckland (both 76 percent) and Otago (75 percent). The West Coast had the lowest proportion (50 percent), followed by Gisborne (58 percent) and Tasman (60 percent).

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