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  • High school completion
    • Trend: overall
    • Table: summary
    • Trend: Socioeconomic background (%)
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What does this mean?

In Kids Stats high school completion refers to students who obtain a Higher School Certificate in New South Wales.

Why is it important to monitor?

Young people’s involvement in continuing education or skills development, employment opportunities and future financial independence are influenced by their educational achievement. 

Progression to the final year of schooling, Year 12, is influenced by a number of factors including:

• whether students perceive schooling to be beneficial, 
• negative experiences at school,
• the availability of further educational alternatives and employment, and 
• socioeconomic factors [1].

The importance of Year 12 completion is emphasised by the fact that early school leavers can suffer long-term disadvantages in the labour market. Schooling in NSW is compulsory for students up to 15 years of age. Young people who leave school early have poorer outcomes across the board than young people who have completed Year 12. Outcomes improve for each year completed from Year 9 to Year 12 [2].

Indicator

Currently there is no routine measure of high school completion. The indicator used in Kids Stats to monitor high school completion is:

The estimated number of students who obtain a Year 12 Higher School Certificate as a proportion of the potential Year 12 population.

Main findings

• From 1997-2007 there has been little change in the proportion of the potential Year 12 population obtaining a Year 12 Higher School Certificate. 
• In 2007, 67% of young people in NSW obtained a Year 12 Higher School Certificate.
• Gender is a factor: In 2007, an estimated 73 in every 100 females obtained a Year 12 Higher School Certificate, compared with 62 in every 100 males, a difference of 11 percentage points.
• Socioeconomic background is a factor: A substantially lower proportion of students living in areas of low socioeconomic background obtained a Year 12 Higher School Certificate.

Notes: [1] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2003). Australia’s Young People: their health and wellbeing. AIHW Cat No. PHE 50. AIHW, Canberra.
[2] Ibid.

For details of the references and to find out more about the data follow the link to Glossary and further information.