School Leavers: 2007
This report provides a summary of the key statistics on 2007 school leavers.
Author: Penny Stock, Ministry of EducationDate Published: July 2008
Results
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Table 1 – School Leavers and Full-Time Students aged 16 years and over 2000-2007
Table 2 – Highest attainment of school leavers 2005-2007
Table 3 – Highest Attainment of School Leavers by Ethnic Group 2006-2007
Table 3 continued – Highest Attainment of School Leavers by Ethnic Group 2006-2007
Table 4 – Highest Attainment of School Leavers by Gender 2006-2007
Table 5 – School Leavers by Year Level 2005-2007
Table 6 – School leavers by Year Level and Gender 2005-2007
Table 7 – School Leavers by MOE Year Level and Ethnic Group 2007
Table 8 – Leavers whose Highest Attainment was a Non-NQF qualification 2006- 2007
Total School Leavers
- In the period 1 March 2007 to 29 February 2008, there were 498 schools which had students leave school.
- Since 2001 the number of full-time students aged 16 years and over in schools has been increasing. However, since 2005 the number of students leaving school has been declining. The number of students who left school in the period 1 March 2007 to 29 February 2008 was 56,670. This is 225 fewer than in 2006, and 784 less than in 2005. This decline reverses the trend that occurred between 2002 and 2005 where the number of leavers had been increasing.
Table 1 – School Leavers and Full-Time Students aged 16 years and over 2000-2007
|
Year
|
School leavers during Year
|
Full-time students aged 16 and over
(at July) |
|
2007
|
56,670
|
102,178
|
|
2006
|
56,895
|
98,442
|
|
2005
|
57,454
|
96,401
|
|
2004
|
55,634
|
95,753
|
|
2003
|
53,471
|
93,584
|
|
2002
|
52,546
|
89,919
|
|
2001
|
53,517
|
86,590
|
|
2000
|
54,633
|
86,846
|
Highest Attainment for All Leavers
- The attainment levels of school leavers are improving.
- Between 2006 and 2007, the proportion of leavers with UE or a Level 3 qualification or higher increased by three percentage points and the proportion leaving with little or no formal attainment decreased by six percentage points.
Table 2 – Highest attainment of school leavers 2005-2007
| Highest attainment of school leavers |
2005 (%)
|
2006 (%)
|
2007 (%)
|
| UE, Level 3 qualification or higher 1 |
33
|
36
|
39
|
| Half-way to a Level 3 qualification |
9
|
8
|
8
|
| Level 2 qualification |
16
|
16
|
18
|
|
Sub-total NCEA Level 2 or above
|
58
|
60
|
66
|
| Half-way to a Level 2 qualification 2 |
9
|
9
|
9
|
| Level 1 qualification |
7
|
7
|
7
|
| Half-way to a Level 1 qualification 3 |
9
|
8
|
8
|
| Less than half-way to a Level 1 qualification |
6
|
5
|
5
|
| Little or no formal attainment |
13
|
11
|
5
|
| Total |
100
|
100
|
100
|
Highest Attainment by Ethnic Group
- All ethnic groups showed an increase in the proportion of leavers with UE or a Level 3 qualification or higher and a decrease in the proportion leaving with little or no formal attainment.
Table 3 – Highest Attainment of School Leavers by Ethnic Group 2006-2007
|
Highest attainment of school leavers
|
NZ European /Pākehā
|
Māori
|
Pasifika
|
|||
|
2006 (%)
|
2007 (%)
|
2006 (%)
|
2007 (%)
|
2006 (%)
|
2007 (%)
|
|
| UE, Level 3 qualification or higher1 |
41
|
44
|
15
|
18
|
17
|
20
|
| Half-way to a Level 3 qualification |
8
|
8
|
7
|
8
|
14
|
15
|
| Level 2 qualification |
16
|
19
|
14
|
17
|
19
|
21
|
|
Sub-total NCEA Level 2 or above
|
65
|
71
|
37
|
44
|
50
|
56
|
| Half-way to a Level 2 qualification2 |
7
|
8
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
14
|
| Level 1 qualification |
7
|
7
|
9
|
9
|
5
|
4
|
| Half-way to a Level 1 qualification3 |
7
|
7
|
13
|
15
|
12
|
12
|
| Less than half-way to a Level 1 qualification |
4
|
4
|
10
|
10
|
8
|
8
|
| Little or no formal attainment |
9
|
3
|
22
|
10
|
12
|
6
|
| Total |
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
- Includes leavers with Year 13 Cambridge International, International Baccalaureate, Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) or any other overseas awards
- Includes leavers with Year 12 Cambridge International, International Baccalaureate, ACE or any other overseas awards
- Includes leavers with Year 11 Cambridge International, International Baccalaureate, ACE or any other overseas awards
Table 3 continued – Highest Attainment of School Leavers by Ethnic Group 2006-2007
|
Highest attainment of school leavers
|
Asian
|
Other
|
Total
|
|||
|
2006 (%)
|
2007 (%)
|
2006 (%)
|
2007 (%)
|
2006 (%)
|
2007 (%)
|
|
| UE, Level 3 qualification or higher1 |
63
|
66
|
41
|
37
|
36
|
39
|
| Half-way to a Level 3 qualification |
10
|
9
|
9
|
13
|
8
|
8
|
| Level 2 qualification |
9
|
9
|
14
|
17
|
16
|
18
|
|
Sub-total NCEA Level 2 or above
|
82
|
84
|
64
|
67
|
60
|
66
|
| Half-way to a Level 2 qualification2 |
6
|
6
|
12
|
11
|
9
|
9
|
| Level 1 qualification |
2
|
2
|
4
|
4
|
7
|
7
|
| Half-way to a Level 1 qualification3 |
3
|
3
|
7
|
7
|
8
|
8
|
| Less than half-way to a Level 1 qualification |
2
|
2
|
5
|
5
|
5
|
5
|
| Little or no formal attainment |
4
|
2
|
9
|
7
|
11
|
5
|
| Total |
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
The recent improvements shown above can be seen more clearly in the following graphs. (Tables containing the actual figures can be found in the Appendix to this report.)
The percentage of leavers with UE or a Level 3 qualification or higher increased for all ethnic groups between 2002 and 2007. Similarly the percentage of leavers with no or low formal attainment has been decreasing since 2002.
Figure 1 - Percentage of school leavers with UE, Level 3 qualification or higher, by ethnic group (1993 to 2007)
Figure 2 - Percentage of school leavers with NCEA Level 2 or above, by ethnic group (1993-2007)
Note:
- Due to methodological changes in the allocation of attainment levels in 2004, for leavers achieving a qualification between little or no formal attainment and UE standard, the percentages of leavers with at least NCEA Level 2 in 2004 is not comparable with other years, and has been omitted.
- Due to changes in the qualification structure, a direct comparison cannot be made between rates up to and including 2002 with rates from 2003
Figure 3 - Percentage of school leavers with little or no formal attainment, by ethnic group (1993 to 2007)
Attainment of Maori school leavers
- Attainment of Maori school leavers is improving. While they are still not achieving as well as other groups, they have experienced the biggest relative change between 2006 and 2007.
- Maori school leavers are under-represented in the group that has UE or a Level 3 qualification or higher, but have shown a similar level of improvement to the other ethnic groups. Only 18 per cent of Maori leavers were at this level (compared to 39 per cent of total school leavers). For Maori this is an increase of three percentage points from 2006. The attainment levels for Maori have shown continuous improvement since 2000.
- Maori school leavers are over-represented in the group that has little or no formal attainment, with 10 per cent of Maori leavers at this level (compared with five per cent for total school leavers). For Maori this is a decrease of 12 percentage points from 2006. The percentage of Maori leavers in this group has been declining since 2002.
- The proportion of Maori school leavers who left school without reaching a Level 1 qualification dropped from 44 per cent in 2006 to 35 per cent in 2007. A decrease from 25 per cent to 19 per cent was experienced for the total school leavers.
Attainment of Pasifika school leavers
- The attainment of Pasifika school leavers has improved between 2006 and 2007.
- Pasifika school leavers are under-represented in the group that has UE or a Level 3 qualification or higher, but have shown improvement between 2006 and 2007. Only 20 per cent of Pasifika leavers were at this level (compared to 39 per cent of total school leavers). This has increased from 17 per cent in 2006.
- For school leavers with little or no formal attainment, Pasifika school leavers have dropped from 12 per cent in 2006 to six per cent in 2007, which is slightly higher than the five per cent for total school leavers. The percentage of Pasifika leavers in this group has been declining since 2002.
- The proportion of Pasifika school leavers who left school without reaching a Level 1 qualification dropped from 32 per cent in 2006 to 26 per cent in 2007.
Highest Attainment by Gender
- Female leavers are still doing better than males.
- While the proportions of both male and female leavers with UE or a Level 3 qualification or higher have increased between 2006 and 2007, the large gap between males and females at this levels continues. There is a 12 percentage point difference: 45 per cent for females and 33 per cent for males. This difference between the genders at this level is relatively unchanged from 2006 (41 per cent for females and 31 per cent for males).
- The gender differential is not now apparent for leavers with little or no formal attainment with both genders having five per cent at this level. The previous year saw a small difference, with 10 per cent for females and 12 per cent for males.
Table 4 – Highest Attainment of School Leavers by Gender 2006-2007
|
Highest attainment of school leavers |
Male |
Female |
Total |
|||
|
2006 |
2007 |
2006 |
2007 |
2006 |
2007 |
|
| UE, Level 3 qualification or higher |
31
|
33
|
41
|
45
|
36
|
39
|
| Half-way to a Level 3 qualification |
8
|
9
|
9
|
8
|
8
|
8
|
| Level 2 qualification |
16
|
19
|
15
|
17
|
16
|
18
|
|
Sub-total NCEA Level 2 or above
|
55
|
61
|
65
|
70
|
60
|
66
|
| Half-way to a Level 2 qualification |
10
|
11
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
9
|
| Level 1 qualification |
7
|
7
|
6
|
6
|
7
|
7
|
| Half-way to a Level 1 qualification |
9
|
10
|
7
|
7
|
8
|
8
|
| Less than half-way to a Level 1 qualification |
6
|
6
|
5
|
4
|
5
|
5
|
| Little or no formal attainment |
12
|
5
|
10
|
5
|
11
|
5
|
| Total |
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
Highest Attainment by Ethnic Group and Gender
- Females have higher attainment across all ethnic groups.
- For each ethnic group there is a greater proportion of females with UE or a Level 3 qualification or higher, and the proportion of female leavers with little or no formal attainment is lower than males except for Maori where it is the same.
- Maori male leaver attainment levels are improving but are still below all other groups.
Year Level
- Over recent years there has been a slight increase in the proportion of students leaving from Year 13. This has been complemented by a slight decrease in students leaving at Year 12. In 2007 there was also a decrease in students leaving at Years 10 and 11.
- Year 13 was the last year of schooling for 64 per cent of leavers in 2007 compared with 62 per cent in 2006 (and 59 per cent in 2005).
- Year 12 was the final year of schooling for 23 per cent of students in 2007. This is the same as last year.
- Year 11 was the final year of schooling for 11 per cent of students in 2007. It was the final year for 12 per cent of students in 2006 and 13 per cent in 2005.
- Less than 0.5 per cent of students in Year 10 left school in 2007, compared with two per cent in both 2005 and 2006.
Table 5 – School Leavers by Year Level 2005-2007
|
MOE Year Level |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
| Year 9 |
0
|
0
|
0
|
| Year 10 |
2
|
2
|
0
|
| Year 11 |
13
|
12
|
11
|
| Year 12 |
24
|
23
|
23
|
| Year 13 |
59
|
62
|
64
|
| Year 14 |
2
|
1
|
1
|
| Year 15 |
0
|
0
|
0
|
| Total |
100
|
100
|
100
|
Year Level by Gender
- Females tend to stay at school longer, with 68 per cent leaving from Year 13 in 2007 compared to 61 per cent of males. For both genders, these proportions have increased from 2006.
- More males left in Year 11 (12 per cent compared to nine per cent of females) and in Year 12 (25 per cent of males compared to 22 per cent of females).
Table 6 – School leavers by Year Level and Gender 2005-2007
| MOE Year Level |
Male
|
Female
|
||||
|
2005
(%) |
2006
(%) |
2007
(%) |
2005
(%) |
2006
(%) |
2007
(%) |
|
| Year 9 |
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
| Year 10 |
2
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
| Year 11 |
15
|
14
|
12
|
11
|
11
|
9
|
| Year 12 |
25
|
24
|
25
|
22
|
22
|
22
|
| Year 13 |
55
|
58
|
61
|
62
|
65
|
68
|
| Year 14 |
2
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
| Year 15 |
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
| Total |
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
Year Level by Ethnic Group
Table 7 – School Leavers by MOE Year Level and Ethnic Group 2007
| MOE Year Level | Ethnicity of Leavers 2007 | |||||
|
NZ European /Pākehā (%)
|
Māori
(%) |
Pasifika
(%) |
Asian
(%) |
Other
(%) |
Total (%)
|
|
| Year 9 |
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
| Year 10 |
0
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
| Year 11 |
10
|
19
|
9
|
3
|
6
|
11
|
| Year 12 |
24
|
31
|
20
|
9
|
16
|
23
|
| Year 13 |
65
|
49
|
68
|
85
|
75
|
64
|
| Year 14 |
1
|
1
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
1
|
| Year 15 |
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
| Total |
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
Year Level of Maori leavers
Maori students leave school with lower levels of education than other ethnic groups:- One per cent of Maori leavers left in Year 10 compared with less than 0.5 per cent of total leavers.
- Nineteen per cent left in Year 11 (compared with 11 per cent overall).
- Thirty one per cent left in Year 12 (compared with 23 per cent overall)
- Forty nine per cent left in Year 13 (compared with 64 per cent overall)
Year Level of Pasifika leavers
- Pasifika students are staying at school longer than total students.
- Only 29 per cent of Pasifika leavers left school before Year 13 in 2007 (compared with 34 per cent of total students). In Years 11 and 12 the percentage of Pasifika leavers is slightly lower than for the total leavers, while in Year 13 the proportion of Pasifika leavers is four percentage points higher than the total.
SES Decile
- Students who leave from a high decile school are much more likely to leave school with UE or a Level 3 qualification or higher, while low decile schools are more likely to have students leave with little or no formal attainment.
- In Decile 10 schools, 66 per cent of the school leavers left with UE or a Level 3 qualification or higher, while only one per cent left with little or no formal attainment.
- In Decile 1 schools, 17 per cent of the school leavers left with UE or a Level 3 qualification or higher, while 11 per cent left with little or no formal attainment.
Figure 4 - Highest Attainment of School Leavers by SES Decile of School, 2007
Non-NQF Qualifications
(These figures are included in the earlier totals.)
- In 2007, 31 schools had leavers with non-NQF qualifications as their highest attainment, compared to 27 in 2006. For 20 of these schools, all leavers had non-NQF qualifications as their highest attainment (compared to 15 schools in 2006).
- The number of leavers with a non-NQF qualification as their highest attainment has increased from 1,190 in 2006 to 1,315 in 2007.
Table 8 – Leavers whose Highest Attainment was a Non-NQF qualification 2006- 2007
|
Highest Non-NQF Attainment |
2006 |
2007 |
|
Year 13: Cambridge International Exams, International Baccalaureate, Accelerated Chris tian Education, or Other Overseas Awards |
1,027 |
1,107 |
|
Year 12: Cambridge International Exams, International Baccalaureate, Accelerated Chris tian Education, or other Overseas Awards |
127 |
178 |
|
Year 11: Cambridge International Exams, International Baccalaureate (prep year), Accelerated Chris tian Education, or other Overseas Awards |
36 |
30 |
|
Sub-Total |
1,190 |
1,315 |
|
No formal attainment 1 |
60 |
12 |
|
TOTAL |
1,250 |
1,327 |
- Only includes leavers with no attainment from schools where all other leavers had a non-NQF qualification as their highest attainment