School Dropout Rate in Italy: High in Vocational & Marginal Areas

29,166 students dropped out of school during the 1999/2000 academic year. A phenomenon deemed “worrying” by the Minister of Public Education, Tullio De Mauro.

The highest dropout rates are recorded in Sicily and Sardinia. Young people who evade compulsory education or interrupt their schooling are primarily males and tend to live in impoverished and marginalized neighborhoods of large cities, in southern Italy (Naples, Palermo, Catania) and, in some cases, in the North-East, according to data from the Ministry.

They have parents with low levels of education and in unskilled professions. Therefore, while dropout rates are decreasing in primary school, the phenomenon is far from negligible at the high school level: among the most affected schools are vocational institutions.

Study on School Dropout

The study entitled “School dropout, a lens on education,” conducted by the Ministry of Public Education, reports that in elementary schools, the average dropout rate is 0.31 percent, approximately 20,000 children. In lower secondary schools, it rises to 1.52 percent, and in upper secondary schools, the average is 10 percent.

Among the different tracks, the highest dropout percentages are found in vocational institutes, where out of 100 students, 12.4 do not complete the year. Following are artistic education (11.48 percent), technical education (10.75 percent), and, finally, high schools and magistral institutions (8.79 percent).