Quinn praises Deis programme as school drop-out rate declines

Fewer than one in 10 students now drop out of school before the Leaving Certificate, but boys and students attending disadvantaged schools are still more likely to leave early.

Education Minister Ruairi Quinn welcomed the latest data from his department showing 90.1% of the 56,000 students who started second level in 2007 sat the Leaving Certificate. They finished school last year or in 2012, depending on whether or not they did transition year.

While down marginally from 90.2% for the previous year’s class, it is up significantly from a retention rate of 85% for the 2002 entry cohort and 82% among those who began second-level education in 1997.