A gap persists between the numbers of students attending schools in disadvantaged areas who complete their Leaving Cert exams compared to those in non-disadvantaged areas. A report from the Department of Education and Skills shows, however, that this gap is slowly closing.

The report on the Retention Rates of Pupils in Second Level Schools released this morning shows a gender gap remains between the numbers of boys as opposed to girls who go on to complete their Leaving.

Retention rates
The Minister for Education and Skills Ruairí Quinn welcomed the fact that the gaps in the retention rates were in decline.

The report provides a detailed look at retention rates across the State and shows the number of students completing their Leaving in 2013 was just above 90 per cent, about the same as last year. In 1997 the retention rate stood at 82.3 per cent but the percentage has continued to rise since that time, according to figures provided in the report.

The numbers completing their Leaving stood at 90.12 per cent in 2013 overall, but remain lower in disadvantaged schools in the Deis programme. The Deis schools saw 80.39 per cent of their students completing their Leaving while non-Deis schools stood at 92.55 per cent.

The report shows, however, that the difference is closing.

In 2001 the comparable figures were 68.2 per cent in Deis schools, 85 per cent in non-Deis and 81.3 per cent overall in that year.

The gender gap favours the girls, with 91.94 per cent staying on to sit their exams, while 88.36 per cent of boys did so. These figures were not always so close, given that the number of girls staying on at second level has risen by 8 per cent since 1997, while the percentage of boys who do so rose by 15 per cent over this period, the report indicates.

The numbers of Irish students who enter the job market with at least a Leaving Cert is above the EU average, according to the report.

The percentage of people here aged 20 to 24 with at least a Leaving stands at 87 per cent, while the EU average is 80 per cent. The State ranks eighth of 28 countries for this.