In a new report from the Danish Trade Union Confederation’s Business Council, it appears that there is a growing trend of 9th-grade students failing Danish and math nationwide. In 2023, 11.5 percent of students did not achieve at least a grade of 02 in the two subjects, which is an increase of 2.9 percentage points compared to the period of 2016-2019. The analysis, based on data from Statistics Denmark, indicates significant geographical differences in students’ performances. In some of the northern municipalities around Copenhagen, including Gentofte, Rudersdal, Lyngby-Taarbæk, Allerød, and Hørsholm, only between 2 and 5 percent of students did not pass the two subjects. These municipalities stand in sharp contrast to Lolland Municipality, where a whole 34 percent of students did not pass Danish and math in 2023. The situation is also serious in other municipalities such as Ringsted, Bornholm, Odsherred, and Vordingborg, where around 25 percent of students did not pass the subjects.
According to the report, only 9 out of Denmark’s 98 municipalities have seen a decrease in the number of failing students. Troels Lund Jensen, chief analyst at the Danish Trade Union Confederation’s Business Council, emphasizes that socio-economic conditions play a significant role in students’ academic performance. “Socio-economic conditions vary widely across the country, and at the same time, we can see that the uneven development has affected the academically weakest students,” he says in a press release. The Danish Trade Union Confederation’s Business Council, which is a Danish think tank and analysis institute, conducts economic and business analyses and represents the labor movement in various councils, committees, and boards.
The report highlights the need for targeted efforts to support the students who are struggling the most and to reduce the geographical education divides.