Private schools get high scores
Pupils studying at private senior high schools are at a distinct advantage over those in public schools, according to a study of the final examination results of more than 34,000 students conducted last year. The study, by Athens University of Economics and Business’s Institute for Statistical Research and Analysis, found that 11.56 percent of students in the third year of private senior high school got a result of more than 19 out of 20 last year, as opposed to 4.74 percent of their peers in public schools. This meant that students at private schools had the opportunity of entering the most difficult universities. Furthermore, 53.41 percent of private school graduates received grades between 15 and 19, out of a possible 20, as opposed to 35.32 percent of public school graduates. The study was conducted among 614 senior high schools (or 42.26 percent of the 1,453 schools from which the institute requested a response). There were 34,536 students as a total student body from the responding schools. Most public school graduates (57.74 percent) got less than 15 out of 19, as opposed to 34.64 percent in private schools. Furthermore, 2.2 percent of students at public schools failed to graduate, whereas only 0.4 percent from private schools failed. The study found that schools in Epirus and Thessaly got the best results of the provinces, with 8.18 percent and 7.36 percent, respectively, getting above 19.
