Three years of middle school education/lower secondary education
Middle schools are classified as national/public and private middle schools.
As of 2022, there are 2,625 national/public middle schools and 633 private middle schools. The compulsory middle
school
education was introduced in 1985. It was expanded regionally, starting with remote regions in small and medium-sized
cities,
then large cities, including Seoul. In 2004, the compulsory middle school education became universal for all three
middle school grades.
The government abolished the middle school entrance exam in 1971, which has led to a lottery system for school
assignments, with preference
given to the middle school nearest to the student’s residence. As of 2022, the enrollment rate for middle schools is
98.2%.
Three years of high school/upper secondary education
Individuals who have graduated from middle school or who have passed a qualifying exam and/or an assessment where equivalent credit is granted may enroll in high school. The high school enrollment rate reached 94.5% in 2022, with various types of high schools available, such as regular high schools, vocational high schools, autonomous high schools, special-purpose high schools, and schools for gifted students. Students can select a high school based on their career goals and paths as well as the level of their academic achievement.
The high school curriculum offers a range of elective subjects in addition to common subjects, giving students options to take subjects aligned with their desired career paths and personal interests. High school education is not compulsory, yet Korea introduced free high school education for the third-year high school students in the second semester of 2019, which was expanded to all three high school grades in 2021. As of 2022, the percentage of students who have progressed to study in higher education institutions from high schools stands at 73.3%, which is the highest in the world.
Type | Characteristics |
---|---|
Regular High Schools |
|
Special-Purpose High Schools |
|
Vocational High Schools |
|
High Schools for the Gifted |
|
Source : 2023 Education in Korea