Nearly 12 Percent of Danish Ninth Graders Fail Core Exams

Danish ninth graders face higher fail rates in core school subjects. Almost twelve percent failed Danish or math exams this summer. This prevents students from entering youth education programs directly. The Ministry of Education reported an 11.8 percent failure rate.

Students need at least grade 2 to pass these exams. The failure rate was 9.9 percent in the previous year. Back in 2018, only 6.9 percent of students failed. However, the average exam grade remained steady at 7.3.

Public broadcaster DR reported a slightly lower rate of 10.5 percent. This gap exists because the ministry includes unregistered exam takers. School researcher Andreas Rasch-Christensen called the fail rate too high. He warned that failed exams block direct path options for teens.

The results align with recent PISA study findings in Denmark. Danish performance fell in reading, mathematics, and science. Danish politicians link this decline to school mobile phone use. They believe phone screens ruin student concentration spans. The Danish government now wants a complete mobile phone ban in schools.