Record number of students complete Secondary School/High School (Videregående) education


The Directorate of Education reported that 73% of students who started upper secondary education in 2011 have completed it with pass grades during the past five years. That is the highest percentage since registration measurements began 17 years ago.


The percentage of students who complete their education within five years has long been stable at between 67 and 71%. In recent years, the percentage of students who complete their education within five years has increased somewhat.

For the students who started in 2011, the increase was 0.3% over the previous year.

Fewer in Finnmark

There has been a positive development in all counties. Most students complete their education. At the top of the list is Akershus, with 78%. The lowest percentage of finishers is in Finnmark, though even there, the figure is well over half at 63%.

Norway’s northernmost county has developed very well in their percentage share in recent years, increasing by 14% since 2006.
The Directorate of Education’s figures show that the level of difference between schools around the country is falling. The difference between the highest and lowest-performing counties has fallen from 27 to 15% between 2006 and 2011.

There are still relatively big differences between students who’ve taken study preparation programs, and those who’ve chosen vocational subjects. 86% of students who took pre-university studies completed upper secondary education within five years, while the number was 59% for those who chose vocational programs.

It is also within the vocational programs group that the highest differences are recorded. 45% of students studying restaurant and food related subjects completed their education within five years, while the figure was 81% for those who chose media and communication subjects.


© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today