As warnings persist about the wave of school dropouts among children and adolescents in Iran, data from the Statistical Center of Iran shows that the dropout rate among students in elementary and lower secondary education during the 2023–2024 academic year increased compared to the previous year.
According to the Statistical Center, the overall dropout rate at the elementary level was 1.45%, which marks a 0.25% increase compared to the previous academic year.
Data from the center indicates that the dropout rate among boys in this level reached 1.53%, a 0.32% increase from the previous academic year.
Among girls, the dropout rate was reported at 1.36%, which is 0.17% higher than the previous year.
On the other hand, the overall dropout rate at the lower secondary level (middle school) was 6.41%, reflecting a 0.94% increase compared to the previous year.
According to published data, the dropout rate for boys in lower secondary education increased by approximately 1.2%, while for girls it rose by 0.65% compared to the previous year.
At the upper secondary level (high school), the dropout rate decreased from 4.04% to 2.69%, marking a 1.35% reduction compared to the previous year.
Over the past years, repeated warnings have been issued about the rising dropout rates among Iranian children and teenagers, often attributed to various issues, including family economic hardship.
In December 2024, Alireza Kazemi, the education minister of Iran’s regime, cited familial, economic, and social factors as the main reasons why students are dropping out of school.
Earlier in November 2024, Gholam-Ali Afrouz, a professor at the University of Tehran, stated that only 70% of Iranian students who enter elementary school eventually graduate from high school.
He emphasized that 30% of students in the country fail to obtain a high school diploma and leave the education system before graduating, entering the job market instead.
In October 2024, Farshad Ebrahimpour, a member of the Iranian regime’s parliamentary education committee, revealed concerning hidden statistics, saying that around 2 million students did not register for the 2024–2025 school year. He cited economic difficulties as the reason many parents and students were unable to complete the enrollment process.
