New Zealand students leaving school at age 17 or older
By region, 2023, % of all students leaving school
| Region | % of students leaving school |
|---|---|
| Northland | 62.9% |
| Auckland | 84.4% |
| Waikato | 71.1% |
| Bay of Plenty | 72.6% |
| Gisborne | 69.6% |
| Hawke's Bay | 74.5% |
| Taranaki | 69.7% |
| Manawatū-Whanganui | 73.4% |
| Wellington | 85.4% |
| West Coast | 72.4% |
| Canterbury | 79.6% |
| Otago | 81.7% |
| Southland | 76.6% |
| Tasman | 76.1% |
| Nelson | 75.4% |
| Marlborough | 69.8% |
Data calculation/treatment
The retention data presented here is calculated from school leaver data, that is, it is the age that a school leaver completed their schooling. The Ministry convention is to consider the proportion of students that remain at school until at least their 17th birthday; this is a year after compulsory education and the average age for a student completing their upper secondary qualifications.
Ethnicity is multiple response, that is, students who affiliated in more than one ethnic group have been counted in each ethnic group. Students are only counted once in the total, therefore, the ethnic groups may not sum to the total.
Exclusions
International fee-paying students are excluded.
Data provided by
Dataset name
Know Your Region: Retention - Percentage of school leavers staying at school until at least their 17th birthday, by Region 2021–2023
Webpage:
http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/know-your-region
How to find the data
To find specific regional data, select the region of your choice, then select Retention > Trends.
The Ministry provided Figure.NZ with a raw extract of all regions in January 2025.
Import & extraction details
File as imported: Know Your Region: Retention - Percentage of school leavers staying at school until at least their 17th birthday, by Region 2021–2023
From the dataset Know Your Region: Retention - Percentage of school leavers staying at school until at least their 17th birthday, by Region 2021–2023, this data was extracted:
- Rows: 2-171
- Columns: 3-11
- Provided: 1,377 data points
This data forms the table Education - Percentage of school leavers staying at school until at least their 17th birthday, by region, 2021–2023.
Dataset originally released on:
January 2025
Purpose of collection
Completion of upper secondary education is associated with a range of economic and social benefits both in New Zealand and across the OECD. Retention to senior secondary schooling is linked to higher levels of skills and knowledge required for participation in our increasingly knowledge-based society and the wider global community.