More than 10,000 first-year high school students in South Korea dropped out of school in 2025. This was the first time the number had passed 10,000.

Some private education companies say the new five-level grading system may be responsible. They argue that students are worried about getting the top grades needed for university admission. Some students may therefore choose to leave school and focus on the CSAT instead.

However, the Ministry of Education disagrees with this explanation. The number of students leaving school had already been increasing before the new system began. There were 6,112 dropouts in 2021 and 9,373 in 2023. In 2025, the number increased by 660 to reach 10,006. This increase was actually smaller than the increases in 2022 and 2023.

The grades of students who left school also raise questions. Their average grade was 3.7 under the new five-level system. Only 393 students in the highest grade category left school in 2025. This was fewer than the 405 top-grade students who left in 2023.

The Ministry says students leave school for many different reasons, including relationship problems, emotional difficulties, illness, and career changes. However, it has not provided enough data to show which reasons are most important.

Therefore, the real issue may not be whether the new grading system caused the increase. The government needs to understand why students are leaving school and use this information to improve education policies. The government’s work should not end when a policy is introduced; it should be continuously evaluated and improved.

김예주 강남포스트 학생기자  webmaster@ignnews.kr

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