A recent survey reveals a concerning trend: nearly 12% of Danish ninth-grade students failed their final exams in either Danish or mathematics, or both. This marks a one percentage point increase compared to the previous year and represents the highest failure rate since 2012, according to the Labour Movement’s Economic Council’s analysis of Statistics Denmark figures.

The survey highlights significant disparities in academic performance across different municipalities and regions. Lolland Municipality exhibits the highest failure rate, with 27.9% of students not passing both the Danish and mathematics exams. Other municipalities with high failure rates include Ishøj, Halsnæs, Odsherred, Ringsted, Vordingborg, and Guldborgsund, where over 20% of students did not meet the required standards. In contrast, Allerød, Gentofte, and Lyngby-Taarbæk demonstrate significantly lower failure rates, with 3.3%, 4.6%, and 4.8% respectively.

Emilie Damm Klarskov, head of analysis at the Labour Movement’s Economic Council, emphasizes the strong influence of socioeconomics on students’ academic success. The analysis indicates that children from working-class families or those with unemployed parents tend to perform worse than their peers. This suggests that varying population compositions across municipalities contribute to differences in academic performance within primary schools.