The proportion of second-level students staying on to complete the Leaving Certificate continues to rise, according to the latest data compiled by the Department of Education.
New figures published today show that more than 90% of students complete the exam.
That figure is slightly up on last year, and seven percentage points up on a decade ago.
The latest figures look at students who began first year in secondary school in 2008.
There were 57,000 of them and almost all, 97%, completed their Junior Certificate exams.
However, just under one in ten had left school before the Leaving Cert.
But the trend is positive, improving year-on-year.
A decade ago 84% of students completed the Leaving Cert.
Now it is close to 91%. Boys are still more likely than girls to drop out of school, but this new data shows an improvement, with the gap between males and females narrowing.
The retention rate in disadvantaged schools, while still lower than average, also continues to improve.
82% of DEIS school students now stay on, compared to 68% seven years ago.
