A rising success rate
The data presented in the following table show an increase of 7.5% in the graduation rate for the whole of Québec between 2002-2003 and 2007-2008. The rate for males increased by 8.8% in the same period. This increase was observed following the allocation of substantial resources to student retention and student success during this period.
Among students under the age of 20 in the same period, the secondary school graduation rate increased by 5.5%, of which 2.8% was for the last year alone. An increase of more than 2% was also observed for males under the age of 20.
| 2002- 2003 | 2003- 2004 | 2004- 2005 | 2005- 2006 | 2006- 2007 | 2007- 2008 | 2008-2009 (estimates) | 2009-2010 (estimates) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 79.8 | 84.3 | 85.4 | 85.5 | 86.2 | 87.3 | 89.7 | 94.1 |
| Under 20 years old | 66.7 | 69.9 | 70.3 | 70.0 | 69.4 | 72.2 | 72.5 | 73.8 |
| 20 years old and over | 13.1 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 15.5 | 16.8 | 15.1 | 17.2 | 20.3 |
| Males | 73.0 | 78.2 | 79.1 | 78.6 | 80.8 | 81.8 | 85.5 | 88.9 |
| Under 20 years old | 59.3 | 63.5 | 63.8 | 63.0 | 63.9 | 66.0 | 67.5 | 67.8 |
| 20 years old and over | 13.7 | 14.7 | 15.3 | 15.6 | 16.9 | 15.8 | 18.0 | 21.1 |
| Females | 86.9 | 90.5 | 92.1 | 92.8 | 91.8 | 93.1 | 94.2 | 99.5 |
| Under 20 years old | 74.4 | 76.5 | 77.1 | 77.4 | 75.1 | 78.7 | 77.7 | 80.1 |
| 20 years old and over | 12.5 | 14.0 | 15.0 | 15.4 | 16.7 | 14.4 | 16.5 | 19.4 |
Who needs to be convinced and helped?
- Large numbers of boys, because about 30% of them drop out of school. However, 20% of girls also leave school prematurely.
- Students with academic delays, that is, those who have repeated at least one year, because about 65% of these students will drop out of school.
- Students in schools in disadvantaged areas, because 35% of them leave school before obtaining a diploma or other qualifications as compared to 20% in other areas.
- Students who are recent immigrants to Québec, nearly 40% of whom do not stay in school until they obtain a diploma or other qualifications.
- Some 5000 students who leave school every year after Secondary I or II.
- Some 6000 students who leave school every year after having got to Secondary V, and who are only a few courses short of a secondary school diploma.