Around one in ten secondary school students in Kerry do not complete the Leaving Certificate.
That’s according to the latest report on retention rates in second-level schools by the Department of Education.
It shows just over 1,900 pupils entered second level education in Kerry in the year 2018, with 98.5% of them going on to complete the Junior Certificate.
Just under 91% of those pupils completed the Leaving Certificate, however, at 1,739.
Kerry’s retention rate to Leaving Cert of 90.8% is about mid-table across all counties and reflects the national average, with Meath the highest at 92.7%, and Roscommon the lowest at 86.9%.
The report says it does not include participation in important educational pathways outside the official school system, such as Youthreach and apprenticeship training, or early entry into the labour force.
