Education in States and Nations: 1991

(ESN) Indicator 23: Note on secondary school completion

Notes on Figure and Tables

Czechoslovakia

See notes to Indicator 10.

Denmark

The rate exceeds 100. Only 25 percent of the graduates are of the theoretical age, and many students take two diplomas at the upper secondary level (often both a general and a vocational program). Many young people must wait for a period of time before gaining entry to educational programs or before receiving an apprenticeship contract with a firm, despite the expansion of the intake capacity of upper secondary level institutions.

Finland

The graduation rate for all upper secondary education is over 100. This is due to the following facts: the upper secondary classification includes many different educational programs; only about one third of the graduates are of the theoretical age; and many young people complete more than one program at the secondary level.

France

Several programs lead to diplomas in technical and vocational education (CAP, BEP, and the vocational courses leading to the Baccalaureate), and some students complete more than one program. The effect of double counting has been removed from the data.

Germany (West)

The percentages reflect the high proportion of graduates completing more than one program at the upper secondary level.

Ireland

The data have been influenced by the use of population figures for 17-year-olds which were based on estimates supplied to OECD prior to the publication of the final results of the Census of Population for 1991. The revised population total of 17-year-olds indicates a rate of graduation at upper secondary education of 81.6 percent. Students completing a one-year pre-employment program at the upper secondary level and not completing the general upper secondary program are included in the total of graduates at this level. The total of such persons accounted for about 7 percent of the 17 year-olds.

Spain

Provisional figures.

United Kingdom

The figures concerning the graduates from general upper secondary education include all school-leavers, irrespective of age, who obtained at least 1 GSCE A level of the General Secondary Certificate of Education (GSCE). The GSCE O levels are also included.

United States

Data include graduates of regular day school programs, but exclude graduates of other programs and persons receiving high school equivalency certificates. They also exclude graduates of sub-collegiate departments of institutions of higher education.

In particular, GED program graduates are not included; only graduates of regular high school programs are included. If GED program graduates were included, the U.S. completion ratio would increase by almost 13 percentage points, to 86.8 percent.

Note on graduation reference age

See note on enrollment reference groups and graduation and entry reference ages: indicators 8, 11, 23, 24, and 29.

Class size, student use of technology...

University completion