Primary and lower secondary education

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Population and Education, Social Statistics
Annemarie Schriver
+45 40 18 43 54

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Primary and lower secondary education 2024

The purpose of the statistics on the Danish primary and lower secondary education is to present the number of pupils and the scale of pupils per class in the Danish school system. The statistics describe the intake and graduation from the basic school system, which in Denmark are the primary and lower secondary schools. In the present form, the statistics are comparable from 2007, from 2009 for number of pupils per class and from 2012 for special needs education.

Statistical presentation

The primary and lower secondary education statistics provide annual data on enrollment and completion from grade 0 to 10/11, including special needs participation and average class size. The data are broken down by grade, school type, age, gender, heritage, and geography. Based on the Student Register, a longitudinal database, the statistics enable tracking of each student’s educational path throughout their basic schooling.

Statistical processing

The Danish primary and lower secondary education dataset is based on annual reports from school administrative systems collected for the Student Register. Most data is reported system-to-system, while some institutions use web questionnaires. After collection, Statistics Denmark performs thorough data validation. Special needs education data is collected annually; public schools report via administrative systems, and private schools report through the Ministry of Education.

Relevance

The statistics serve public administrators, researchers, analysts, journalists, and citizens for forecasting, analysis, and planning. The underlying data supports most personal statistics at Statistics Denmark and forms the basis for education tables in the Statbank. The statistics document student intake, departure, and transitions between classes or programs within the Danish education system, underpinning many education-related tables in the Statistics Denmark databank.

Accuracy and reliability

The reliability of the educational information is considered to be high. The information in the statistics is obtained from the institutions' administrative registers and goes through comprehensive error check procedures in connection with the annual data collections.

Timeliness and punctuality

The statistics are published 3 to 4 months after the end of the reference time. The statistics are usually published without delay in accordance with the scheduled date.

Comparability

Statistics Denmark has collected data on pupils in Danish primary and lower secondary schools since the 19th century. Comparable data in its current form are available from 2007, when grades 0 to 10/11 began to be compiled. Pupils per class have been recorded since 2009, and special needs education data since 2011. The statistics follow common European guidelines and are comparable with OECD data from other countries.

Accessibility and clarity

These statistics are published in the StatBank under Primary and lower secondary education and in a Danish press release. For further information go to the subject page for these statistics.