We characterize the recent trends in high school graduation and non-attendance rates in Colombia.
The characterization allows allow us to draw three conclusions. First, the rate of graduation and nonattendance
to secondary education has improved in recent years but remains low and the improvement
has not been uniform; this change is positive but moderate. The proportion of young people between
the ages of 16 and 24 graduating from secondary education in Colombia between 2008 and 2014
increased by an average of 0.92 percentage points per year. Taking into account that in 2014 the rate
was 55.72%, if we continue at this rate only around 2042 we will be at rates close to 80%. Second,
graduation rates for secondary education have improved because more young people are reaching
high school and not because of improvements in dropout rates at this level of education. Third, there
are important differences between sexes and between ages in the reasons for not attending secondary
education. We found that women report as the main reason for not attending school that need to take
care of the home and that men between the ages of 14 and 18 report as a reason the lack of interest in
education.