Luxembourg counts schoolchildren: who drops out and why?

According to a fresh report from the Luxembourg Ministry of Education, in the school year 2023/2024, the number of adolescents who finally left school without a diploma was 1,884 - 8.2 per cent of all students aged 16 to 24. Almost a quarter of them had previous experience of leaving the education system. The situation is particularly worrying for students in vocational courses: more than 40 per cent of students in preparatory classes (CIP/COP) do not complete their studies.

More than a third of all cases occur in September, when apprentices do not return after the summer holidays. The second most frequent wave leaves in November - often these are those who have not found an employer for an apprenticeship. The peak age for opting out of education is 18. Almost half of all cases are recorded in the 10th and 11th grades - these are the turning points for professional choice.

Boys still make up the majority - 60.7 per cent - but the share of girls among those who quit has been steadily increasing in recent years. The main risk group is those who are already behind academically: almost 85 per cent of all dropouts are at least one year behind their age level.

Despite many social stereotypes, the most common reason is not passivity or indifference, but an active decision to change course. More than 20% reported that they found another educational or professional direction. However, the number of those who leave because they cannot find an internship is growing - there are almost 4 times more of them over the year.

Among the more problematic reasons are lack of motivation (13.8%), health problems (8.1%), conflict situations and family difficulties. 6.2% named the reason for expulsion due to absenteeism.

Nearly one in four students who drop out return to the system the following year. The rate of return is particularly high among high school students and those who studied in the DAP and CCP vocational streams. However, in some streams - for example, among preparatory students (ESC inférieur) - the return rate does not exceed 7 per cent.

Interestingly, almost half of all respondents do not believe that they had serious difficulties - their decision to leave was part of a personal project rather than a consequence of failure. However, such explanations do not cancel out social anxiety: if the state fails to build a sustainable network of reorientation and support, young people will continue to disappear from the field of formal education - and thus from the radar of their professional future.