The national average for 9th-grade exam results in Portugal improved last year, yet most schools did not achieve passing grades, with public school students facing the greatest challenges. In 2024, the national average for students’ results in the Portuguese language exam slightly decreased compared to the previous year, although there was an improvement in mathematics scores, contributing to an overall rise in the national average from 2.79 to 2.91 on a scale of zero to five.
Analyzing more than 181,000 exams, the majority of schools failed to achieve a passing average. Out of 1,043 schools reviewed, 704 (67.50%) recorded an average score below three in both exams. Public schools faced more difficulties, with 683 of them, accounting for 75.22% of public schools, not reaching a passing average, whereas only 21 private schools, or 15.56%, fell short of the three-point mark.
In the overall ranking conducted, which lists schools based on their performance in final 9th-grade exams, the top 10 spots were claimed by private institutions, led by Colégio Novo da Maia with an average of 4.51 in Portuguese and Mathematics exams.
Similarly, 23 schools achieved average scores above four, all of which are private, with Grande Colégio Universal scoring 4.40 and Colégio Nossa Senhora do Rosário following with 4.30, both situated in Porto.
The highest-ranked public school appeared in the 27th position. The Escola Artística do Conservatório de Música do Porto achieved an average score of 3.96 from 96 exams.
Conversely, 11 schools posted an average score below two, with Escola Básica da Trafaria in Almada at the bottom, scoring 1.75, followed by EB do Bairro Padre Cruz, also at 1.75, and EB Pintor Almada Negreiros with 1.83, both located in Lisbon.
Regarding individual subjects, the average score in Portuguese stood at 3, while Mathematics had an average of 2.8, where only half of the students achieved a passing grade.
For Portuguese, 76% of students achieved passing marks, with girls outperforming boys in both subjects.
A report released by the Directorate-General for Education and Science Statistics (DGEEC) in February indicated that socioeconomic status continues to heavily influence outcomes, particularly in Mathematics, with students from less affluent families (receiving level A in School Social Support) scoring significantly lower than their non-beneficiary peers.
The report also highlighted an increase in successful cases, though these were more prevalent among students from wealthier backgrounds, according to the “successful direct pathways” indicator. This metric denotes the percentage of students who have progressed through the 9th grade without failings and have achieved passing grades in final exams.
