Number of students in upper secondary increases slightly

A total of 103,800 students attended upper secondary general school education leading to a qualification in 2017, according to Statistics Finland.

The number of students grew by 0.2 per cent from the previous year. A total of 30,200 matriculation examinations were completed. The figure was 300 lower than one year before. Fifty-eight per cent of the students and passers of the matriculation examination were women.

Upper secondary general education was provided in 388 educational institutions. There were two fewer upper secondary general schools than one year earlier. Education in Swedish was offered in 36 upper secondary schools and six per cent of the students in upper secondary general school education studied at these schools.

Of all students, 1,900 studied for an international matriculation examination. The International Baccalaureate examination was passed by 400 students in 17 upper secondary schools, the European Baccalaureate examination by 22 students at the European School of Helsinki, and the Reifeprüfung by 30 students in the Helsingin saksalainen koulu (the German School of Helsinki).

From 2007 to 2017, the number of educational institutions providing upper secondary general school education has fallen by 61. Over the same period, the number of students in upper secondary general school has diminished by 10 per cent. The number of matriculation examinations has gone down by nine per cent in ten years. Throughout the 2000s, over one-half of the students and passers of the matriculation examination have been women.