Boys' Achievement: a Synthesis of Data
Boys’ Achievement: A Synthesis of the Data provides an overview of boys’ educational achievement in New Zealand schools.
The report updates our knowledge of boys’ participation, engagement, and achievement in schooling, in particular secondary schooling. It shows that while many boys are high achievers, boys are over-represented in statistics related to:
- early problems in reading
- disengagement from school
- lower achievement in reading and writing
- lower qualification attainment.
Key findings
Most boys are achieving well, and a number are advanced readers and writers. There are some differences in the participation, engagement, and achievement of boys and girls:
- Girls perform better in reading and writing at all school levels and across all ethnic groups and are improving at a greater rate than boys.
- From year 11, boys are leaving school at a faster rate than girls.
-
More boys than girls - particularly Māori and Pasifika boys:
- are stood-down and suspended
- are excluded or expelled
- gain early leaving exemptions. - Boys are less likely than girls to gain University Entrance, NCEA, or higher qualifications, or participate in and attain degree-level qualifications.
- Māori and Pasifika boys are less likely to leave school with University Entrance or higher qualifications than boys from other ethnic groups.
Find out more
- Download the full report or the Success for Boys leaflet (PDF 251KB), which summarises key findings from the report.