Dropout in the lower tracks of Dutch secondary education: Predictor variables and variation among schools

This study analyses the data from a large-scale longitudinal investigation into the effect of both school and student characteristics on the dropout rate for students in lower secondary education in The Netherlands. Dropout rates were found to vary significantly between schools, but only a single school variable was identified that correlated significantly with dropout rate. The effect of relevant student characteristics (gender, achievement, parents’ level of education, minority status) did not vary significantly among schools, but for some variables the effect was found to differ between boys and girls or between minority and non-minority students.