Students leaving school with higher qualifications

National is helping children succeed. We’ve set an ambitious better public services target of 85 per cent of 18-year-olds achieving NCEA Level 2 or equivalent in 2017.

This is the first year we have reported the results of all 18-year-olds, and we are delighted that 74.3 per cent attained NCEA Level 2 or an equivalent qualification last year.

At school level, nearly 72 per cent of school leavers achieved at least NCEA Level 2, compared with 66.4 per cent in 2009.

51 per cent of Maori students attained NCEA Level 2 last year, up from 44 per cent in 2009, and Pasifika achievement has risen from 55.7 per cent to just over 63 per cent.

These are great results, but we still need to work harder to ensure all children leave school with the skills they need to reach their potential.

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