Delays and dropouts : identifying risks of suboptimal post-compulsory educational pathways in Sweden

Successful completion of upper secondary education is increasingly vital for participation in the labor market. Rates of school dropout in Sweden are below the EU average but remain a concern for policymakers. This quantitative study used the Swedish register covering 22 birth cohorts to establish the pathways available for students following compulsory school graduation and to identify the socio-demographic risks of taking a suboptimal pathway. The results showed that immigrant students arriving after the beginning of compulsory schooling and students from low-education households had the most elevated risks of engaging with upper secondary school in a suboptimal way, indicating sustained inequalities in the Swedish school system.