Primary and Secondary Education
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Student Enrollment, Advancement and Employment

Advancement rate
Elementary school graduates

(Unit: person, %)

Elementary school graduates: Year, Graduates, Enrollees to higher education, Advancement rate
Year Graduates Enrollees to higher education Advancement rate
1999 618,438 618,086 99.9
2000 614,759 614,494 100.0
2001 614,917 614,589 99.9
2002 630,187 630,002 100.0
2003 627,964 627,795 100.0
2004 693,076 692,944 100.0
2005 707,126 707,013 100.0
2006 691,774 691,657 100.0
2007 682,911 682,685 100.0
2008 680,804 680,648 100.0
2009 657,402 657,293 100.0
2010 647,572 647,458 100.0
2011 617,533 617,406 100.0
2012 597,426 597,296 100.0
2013 602,343 602,200 100.0
2014 530,819 530,717 100.0
2015 464,835 464,730 100.0
2016 472,641 472,512 100.0
2017 454,007 453,921 100.0
2018 418,522 418,460 100.0
2019 432,909 432,825 100.0
2020 474,778 474,688 100.0
2021 450,931 450,896 100.0

Advancement rate (%) = (Enrollees to higher education / Graduates) × 100

Middle school graduates

(Unit: person, %)

Middle school graduates: Year, Graduates, Enrollees to higher education, Advancement rate
Year Graduates Enrollees to higher education Advancement rate
1999 715,971 711,968 99.4
2000 631,398 628,644 99.6
2001 626,507 623,795 99.6
2002 602,675 599,941 99.5
2003 597,576 595,986 99.7
2004 600,378 598,705 99.7
2005 616,499 614,900 99.7
2006 612,936 611,496 99.8
2007 677,547 674,922 99.6
2008 690,438 688,092 99.7
2009 674,864 672,393 99.6
2010 668,575 666,509 99.7
2011 668,224 666,109 99.7
2012 645,975 644,055 99.7
2013 635,827 633,990 99.7
2014 606,494 604,785 99.7
2015 587,834 586,341 99.7
2016 593,614 592,075 99.7
2017 522,987 521,591 99.7
2018 457,771 456,407 99.7
2019 464,717 463,130 99.7
2020 445,526 444,042 99.7
2021 412,562 411,471 99.7

Advancement rate (%) = (Enrollees to higher education / Graduates) × 100

High school graduates

(Unit: person, %)

High school graduates: Year, Graduates ,Enrollees to higher education, The employed, Enlisted, Etc., Advancement rate
Year Graduates Enrollees to higher education The employed Enlisted Etc. Advancement rate
1999 747,723 498,183 161,204 1,234 87,102 66.6
2000 764,712 519,811 161,272 884 82,745 68.0
2001 735,739 518,242 143,858 807 72,832 70.4
2002 670,713 497,483 114,429 649 58,152 74.2
2003 590,413 470,702 79,121 367 40,223 79.7
2004 588,550 478,402 65,810 660 43,678 81.3
2005 569,272 467,508 52,852 734 48,178 82.1
2006 568,055 466,248 47,118 699 53,990 82.1
2007 571,357 472,965 35,680 695 62,017 82.8
2008 581,921 487,509 33,470 1,175 59,767 83.8
2009 576,298 472,115 28,358 1,365 74,460 81.9
2010 633,539 500,091 34,182 1,405 97,861 78.9
2011 648,468 469,961 41,057 1,940 135,510 72.5
2012 636,724 453,899 53,060 1,573 128,192 71.3
2013 631,197 446,474 55,443 1,389 127,891 70.7
2014 632,983 448,817 61,268 1,203 121,695 70.9
2015 615,462 435,650 61,370 972 117,470 70.8
2016 607,598 423,997 61,882 1,152 120,567 69.8
2017 583,608 401,923 62,784 927 117,974 68.9
2018 566,545 394,923 52,359 1,047 118,216 69.7
2019 568,736 400,218 41,660 1,461 125,397 70.4
2020 500,373 362,888 31,290 2,089 104,106 72.5
The criteria for enrollees to post-secondary institutions are as follows.
  • 2011-2019: People going to higher education as of April 1 (Source: Elementary and Secondary Education Statistics)
  • 2020: People going to higher education as of April 1 (Source: Elementary and Secondary Education Statistics, Vocational High School Employment Statistics)
The 2021 data will be released in December after the Vocational High School Employment Statistics are published. Advancement rate (%) = (Enrollees to higher education / Graduates) × 100
Advancement rate by high school type

(Unit: person, %)

Advancement rate by high school type: Year, Total(Graduates, Enrollees to higher education, Advancement rate), Regular high school(Graduates, Enrollees to higher education, Advancement rate), Special-purpose high school(Graduates, Enrollees to higher education, Advancement rate), Specialized vocational high school(Graduates, Enrollees to higher education, Advancement rate), Autonomous high school(Graduates, Enrollees to higher education, Advancement rate), Academic school(Graduates, Enrollees to higher education, Advancement rate), Vocational school(Graduates, Enrollees to higher education, Advancement rate)
Year Total Regular high school Special-purpose high school Specialized vocational high school Autonomous high school Academic school Vocational school
Graduates Enrollees to higher education Advancement rate Graduates Enrollees to higher education Advancement rate Graduates Enrollees to higher education Advancement rate Graduates Enrollees to higher education Advancement rate Graduates Enrollees to higher education Advancement rate Graduates Enrollees to higher education Advancement rate Graduates Enrollees to higher education Advancement rate
1999 747,723 498,183 67 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 456,831 386,053 84.5 290,892 112,130 38.5
2000 764,712 519,811 68 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 473,665 397,641 83.9 291,047 122,170 42
2001 735,739 518,242 70 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 465,346 396,831 85.3 270,393 121,411 44.9
2002 670,713 497,483 74 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 439,586 382,380 87 231,127 115,103 49.8
2003 590,413 470,702 80 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 400,903 361,468 90.2 189,510 109,234 57.6
2004 588,550 478,402 81 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 405,715 364,458 89.8 182,835 113,944 62.3
2005 569,272 467,508 82 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 399,013 352,344 88.3 170,259 115,164 67.6
2006 568,055 466,248 82 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 405,455 354,647 87.5 162,600 111,601 68.6
2007 571,357 472,965 83 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 412,649 359,478 87.1 158,708 113,487 71.5
2008 581,921 487,509 84 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 423,513 372,102 87.9 158,408 115,407 72.9
2009 576,298 472,115 82 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 424,888 360,790 84.9 151,410 111,325 73.5
2010 633,539 500,091 79 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 477,470 389,093 81.5 156,069 110,998 71.1
2011 648,468 469,961 73 470,605 356,689 75.8 22,779 15,347 67.4 114,690 69,944 61 40,394 27,981 69.3 0 0 0 0 0 0
2012 636,724 453,899 71 453,242 347,250 76.6 23,283 14,943 64.2 108,950 54,484 50 51,249 37,222 72.6 0 0 0 0 0 0
2013 631,197 446,474 71 449,975 349,458 77.7 23,104 13,868 60 105,907 44,152 41.7 52,211 38,996 74.7 0 0 0 0 0 0
2014 632,983 448,817 71 453,046 356,725 78.7 23,842 14,212 59.6 106,521 40,353 37.9 49,574 37,527 75.7 0 0 0 0 0 0
2015 615,462 435,650 71 442,590 349,250 78.9 23,937 13,984 58.4 101,884 36,738 36.1 47,051 35,678 75.8 0 0 0 0 0 0
2016 607,598 423,997 70 437,299 341,155 78 22,771 12,730 55.9 101,256 35,473 35 46,272 34,639 74.9 0 0 0 0 0 0
2017 583,608 401,923 69 419,461 324,234 77.3 23,272 13,239 56.9 96,022 31,466 32.8 44,853 32,984 73.5 0 0 0 0 0 0
2018 566,545 394,923 70 407,600 316,559 77.7 22,818 13,160 57.7 91,886 33,072 36 44,241 32,132 72.6 0 0 0 0 0 0
2019 568,736 400,218 70 412,392 317,590 77 22,365 12,869 57.5 90,116 38,321 42.5 43,863 31,438 71.7 0 0 0 0 0 0
2020 500,373 362,888 73 359,885 285,888 79.4 21,472 12,475 58.1 81,190 36,412 44.8 37,826 28,113 74.3 0 0 0 0 0 0
Vocational high school graduates (surveyed since 2020)

(Unit: person, %)

Vocational high school graduates (surveyed since 2020): Year, Specialized vocational high school(Graduates, Enrollees to higher education, Employed, Enlisted, Those falling into the exclusion category, Unemployed, Advancement rate, Advancement rate ), Meister high school(Graduates, Graduates, Employed, Enlisted, hose falling into the exclusion category, Unemployed, Advancement rate, Employment rate)
Year Specialized vocational high school Meister high school
Graduates Enrollees to higher education Employed Enlisted Those falling into the exclusion category Unemployed Advancement rate Advancement rate Graduates Graduates Employed Enlisted Those falling into the exclusion category Unemployed Advancement rate Employment rate
2020 79,503 35,195 20,785 1,176 864 21,483 44.3 49.2 5,666 297 3,510 394 48 1,417 5.2 71.2

Survey base date: April 1, 2020

Graduates: Graduates in January and February 2020 The employed: Insurance subscribers, workers in foreign countries, agricultural, forestry and fishery workers Insurance subscribers: Employer-sponsored health insurance subscribers or employment insurance subscribers Employment rate (%) = {Employed / (Graduates - (Enrollees to higher education + Enlisted + Those falling into the exclusion category))} × 100 Advancement rate (%) = (Enrollees to higher education / Graduates) × 100
※ Workers in foreign countries: Individuals registered to the Human Resources Development Service of Korea

Major Educational Indicators by Year

Number of students per class
Number of students per class: Year, Kindergarten, Elementary school ,Middle school, High school
Year Kindergarten Elementary school Middle school High school
1980 38.4 51.5 62.1 59.7
1990 28.6 41.4 50.2 52.8
2000 26.3 35.8 38.0 42.7
2001 25.8 35.6 37.3 39.7
2002 25.5 34.9 36.7 33.9
2003 25.0 33.9 34.8 33.1
2004 24.6 32.9 35.1 32.7
2005 24.2 31.8 35.3 32.7
2006 23.7 30.9 35.3 32.5
2007 22.7 30.2 35.0 33.1
2008 21.9 29.2 34.7 33.7
2009 21.6 27.8 34.4 34.2
2010 21.0 26.6 33.8 33.7
2011 20.9 25.5 33.0 33.1
2012 21.6 24.3 32.4 32.5
2013 21.5 23.2 31.7 31.9
2014 19.7 22.8 30.5 30.9
2015 20.0 22.6 28.9 30.0
2016 19.7 22.4 27.4 29.3
2017 19.0 22.3 26.4 28.2
2018 17.9 22.3 25.7 26.2
2019 17.0 22.2 25.1 24.5
2020 16.7 21.8 25.2 23.4
2021 16.1 21.5 25.4 23.0
Number of students per teacher
Number of students per teacher: Year, Kindergarten, Elementary school, Middle school, High school
Year Kindergarten Elementary school Middle school High school
1980 19.9 47.5 45.1 33.3
1990 22.4 35.6 25.4 24.6
2000 19.5 28.7 20.1 19.9
2001 18.8 28.7 19.6 18.3
2002 18.5 28.1 19.3 15.7
2003 18.0 27.1 18.6 15.3
2004 17.9 26.2 19.0 15.0
2005 17.5 25.1 19.4 15.1
2006 17.0 24.0 19.4 15.1
2007 16.2 22.9 19.1 15.3
2008 15.5 21.3 18.8 15.5
2009 15.2 19.8 18.4 15.7
2010 14.8 18.7 18.2 15.5
2011 14.6 17.3 17.3 14.8
2012 14.5 16.3 16.7 14.4
2013 14.3 15.3 16.0 14.2
2014 13.4 14.9 15.2 13.7
2015 13.4 14.9 14.3 13.2
2016 13.3 14.6 13.3 12.9
2017 12.9 14.5 12.7 12.4
2018 12.3 14.5 12.1 11.5
2019 11.9 14.6 11.7 10.6
2020 11.4 14.2 11.8 10.1
2021 10.9 14.0 11.9 9.9
Dropout rate
Dropout rate: Year, Dropout rate(Elementary school, Middle school, High school), Number of dropout students(Elementary school, Middle school, High school), Number of students per grade(Elementary school, Middle school, High school)
Year Dropout rate Number of dropout students Number of students per grade
Elementary school Middle school High school Elementary school Middle school High school Elementary school Middle school High school
1980 0.1 1.2 2.5 3,856 30,628 43,088 5,658,002 2,471,997 1,696,792
1990 0.0 1.0 1.9 1,299 22,348 42,542 4,868,520 2,275,751 2,283,806
2000 0.4 1.0 2.5 14,734 18,810 51,528 4,019,991 1,860,539 2,071,468
2001 0.4 1.1 2.5 18,170 19,606 47,655 4,089,429 1,831,152 1,911,173
2002 0.5 0.9 2.1 18,956 15,753 38,195 4,138,366 1,841,030 1,795,509
2003 0.7 0.7 1.6 30,056 13,276 27,630 4,175,626 1,854,641 1,766,529
2004 0.4 0.7 1.4 16,793 14,165 24,037 4,116,195 1,933,543 1,746,560
2005 0.5 0.8 1.3 18,403 15,669 23,076 4,022,801 2,010,704 1,762,896
2006 0.6 0.9 1.6 23,898 18,968 27,930 3,925,043 2,075,311 1,775,857
2007 0.5 1.0 1.8 20,450 20,101 32,943 3,829,998 2,063,159 1,841,374
2008 0.5 1.0 1.8 17,644 19,675 34,450 3,672,207 2,038,611 1,906,978
2009 0.3 0.8 1.8 11,634 15,736 34,540 3,474,395 2,006,972 1,965,792
2010 0.6 1.0 2.0 18,836 18,866 38,887 3,299,094 1,974,798 1,962,356
2011 0.6 0.9 1.9 19,163 17,811 37,391 3,132,477 1,910,572 1,943,798
2012 0.6 0.9 1.8 16,828 16,426 34,934 2,951,995 1,849,094 1,920,087
2013 0.6 0.8 1.6 15,908 14,278 30,382 2,784,000 1,804,189 1,893,303
2014 0.5 0.7 1.4 14,886 11,702 25,318 2,728,509 1,717,911 1,839,372
2015 0.5 0.6 1.3 14,555 9,961 22,554 2,714,610 1,585,951 1,788,266
2016 0.6 0.6 1.4 14,998 8,924 23,741 2,672,843 1,457,490 1,752,457
2017 0.6 0.7 1.5 16,422 9,129 24,506 2,674,227 1,381,334 1,669,699
2018 0.7 0.7 1.6 17,797 9,764 24,978 2,711,385 1,334,288 1,538,576
2019 0.7 0.8 1.7 18,366 10,001 23,894 2,747,219 1,294,559 1,411,027
2020 0.4 0.5 1.1 11,612 5,976 14,439 2,693,716 1,315,846 1,337,312

Dropout rate (%) = Number of dropout students / Number of students enrolled last year × 100

Classification was made based on the academic year (the number of students counted as of April 1 of the current year; the number of people dropping out of school counted between March of the current year and February of the next year) Dropouts out of elementary and middle schools regard those who have been suspended or exempted from school. The reasons for high school dropouts are voluntarily quit—due to illness, family issues, maladaptation, study abroad, or immigration, expulsion—due to behavior problems, suspension, exemption, or disenrollment. The dead were excluded from dropouts.