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SCHOOL RETENTION

A major focus of Indigenous education initiatives has been to encourage students to continue their education beyond the compulsory years of schooling in order to increase their future employment prospects and opportunities for non-school education.

The National Schools Statistics Collection showed that, in 2007, the apparent retention rate for Indigenous full-time students from Year 7/8 to Year 10 was 91% and to Year 12 was 43% (see the Glossary for more information on apparent retention rates).

Indigenous retention to Year 10 and beyond has steadily increased over the last 10 years (table 3.1). This trend is particularly evident at the Year 11 level, where the apparent retention rate from Year 7/8 rose from 52% in 1998 to 70% in 2007.

3.1 APPARENT SCHOOL RETENTION RATES, by Indigenous status - 1998-2007
		1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
		%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
To Year 9
	Indigenous	95.0	93.9	95.5	96.5	97.8	96.8	97.2	99.2	98.4	97.5
	Non-Indigenous	99.7	99.9	99.8	99.9	99.9	99.9	99.9	99.9	100.0	100.4
	Difference (percentage points)	-4.7	-6.0	-4.3	-3.4	-2.0	-3.1	-2.7	-0.7	-1.6	-2.9
To Year 10
	Indigenous	83.3	82.0	83.0	85.7	86.4	87.2	85.8	88.3	91.4	90.5
	Non-Indigenous	97.4	97.9	98.0	98.4	98.5	98.9	98.5	98.6	98.9	99.7
	Difference (percentage points)	-14.1	-15.9	-15.0	-12.7	-12.1	-11.7	-12.7	-10.3	-7.5	-9.2
To Year 11
	Indigenous	52.3	56.0	53.6	56.1	58.9	61.4	61.1	62.3	67.7	69.7
	Non-Indigenous	85.4	86.4	86.2	87.6	88.7	89.5	89.0	88.3	88.8	89.4
	Difference (percentage points)	-33.1	-30.4	-32.6	-31.5	-29.8	-28.1	-27.9	-26.0	-21.1	-19.7
To Year 12
	Indigenous	32.1	34.7	36.4	35.7	38.0	39.1	39.8	39.5	40.1	42.9
	Non-Indigenous	72.7	73.2	73.3	74.5	76.3	76.5	76.9	76.6	75.9	75.6
	Difference (percentage points)	-40.6	-38.5	-36.9	-38.8	-38.3	-37.4	-37.1	-37.1	-35.8	-32.7
Source: National Schools Statistics Collection, ABS 2008