Final NCEA results confirm students' pass rates have continued to decline, but year 13s are performing better than pre-COVID-19.
It comes after the NZ Qualifications Authority Te Mana Tohu Mātauranga (NZQA) released provisional results in January, showing NCEA pass rates had dropped across the board for the third straight year.
NZQA said at the time those results were likely due to three years of COVID-related disruptions.
"While attainment at all levels of NCEA and University Entrance (UE) has declined compared to 2022, attainment of NCEA level 3 and UE remains slightly higher than in 2019 - the last pre-COVID year," NZQA's Jann Marshall said of the final results released on Tuesday.
For year 11 students who normally study NCEA level 1, last year's pass rate was 3.2 percent lower than in 2022.
It continues the decline since 2019, during which time level 1 pass rates have fallen 8.9 percent.
"This reflects the continuing trend of some schools moving away from offering a full NCEA level 1 programme in year 11 and working towards achieving NCEA level 2 over two years," said Marshall, NZQA's deputy chief executive.
An NZQA survey last year showed a quarter of schools weren't planning on offering a "full assessment programme" in 2024 for their year 11s, Marshall added.
"While it is optional for schools to offer NCEA level 1, it remains the highest qualification held by around 10 percent of school leavers," she said.
For students studying level 2, pass rates were 1.7 percent lower than in 2022. Level 2 attainment has fallen 4.3 percent since 2019.
"The decrease in attainment at NCEA Level 2 may partially reflect the ongoing effects from COVID-related disruption," Marshall said.
Meanwhile, for students completing level 3 in their final year, pass rates fell by 0.5 percent. However, they were actually up 0.4 percent from pre-COVID results.
And when it comes to school leavers gaining UE, the change has been minimal - dropping 0.6 percent on 2022's results.
But again, there has been a small rise since 2019, up 0.4 percent - meaning year 13s are outperforming students schooled five years ago.
Pass rates for ākonga Māori and Pasifika have been mixed.
Māori students increased their pass rates for level 2, 3 and UE. Meanwhile, Pasifika students performed better in level 3 and UE, but worse in level 1 and 2.
"While there are some positive movements, a significant underlying equity gap remains between Māori and Pacific students, and their European and Asian classmates at each level of NCEA," said Marshall.
She said Māori and Pasifika students still achieve UE at about half the rate of Pākehā and Asian students.
"NZQA and the New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) will soon release a report looking at how some schools are successful in supporting more equitable outcomes in UE," she added.
NZQA's annual report on student achievement and scholarships will be released in June.
