Only 80% of 17-year-olds were still in high school, 46.1% passed their matriculation exams but only 39.5% received high school diplomas qualifying them for college entrance
- In 2008, only 46.1% of Israeli 17-year-olds passed the matriculation exams. This means that more than half of 17-year-olds – 53.9% – did not take or pass the exams.
- 4% of the matriculation certificates were not at the level required for college entrance; thus only 39.4% of 17-year-olds qualified for college admission.
- Looking at all 17-year-olds, we found that 79.8% were still enrolled in high school; 46.1% received matriculation certificates and only 39.4% qualified for college admission.
- In practice, not everyone eligible goes to college. Of those who completed their senior year in 2001, only 32.4% enrolled in a university or academic college by 2009.
- Since 2005, there has been a decrease in the proportion of high school graduates passing the matriculation exams.
- Success rates of high school seniors in the matriculation exams are correlated with the socio-economic status of the localities in which they live: the highest success rate – 66% — was found in affluent localities, and the lowest in Bedouin localities in the Negev – 29.4%. The success rate for Jewish development towns is 47.3% and that for Arab localities – 34.4%.
