Last year, a noticeable increase in the number of students taking national exams was observed: Over 118,000 students from scientific-humanistic courses took at least one exam in the first phase, compared to around 110,000 the previous year. Overall, teachers evaluated more than 231,000 exams, and the national average dropped by 0.25 points compared to 2023, now standing at 11.43 points.
This decline is attributed to the performance of students from public schools, where most young people study, and whose average performance slightly decreased (by 0.28 points), in contrast to private schools, which saw a slight increase of 0.05 points.
The average exam scores for private school students rose to 13.07 points, while for public school students, it fell to 11.21 points, based on an analysis of 231,950 exams from the first phase. Currently, public schools and private schools are separated by 1.8 points on a scale of zero to 20.
The number of schools with negative averages also increased: Out of 448 public schools with more than 100 exams taken, 60 failed, more than double the previous year’s count of 25 schools. Among 76 private schools, four failed (5.3%), one more than in 2023.
Examining different subjects, national averages ranged between 10 and 13 points, with English and Economics A achieving the highest average scores (13.1 points), followed by History A (12.7) and Mathematics A (12.6).
Within the range of 11 points were Mathematics Applied to Social Sciences, Portuguese, and Physics and Chemistry A. The subjects with the lowest averages were Geography A (10.3), Philosophy and Biology and Geology (both at 10.4), and Descriptive Geometry A (10.7).
The data also indicates that family background continues to significantly impact academic success, making it more challenging for impoverished students to attain high grades: Students without School Social Support (ASE) performed better across all subjects compared to beneficiaries under ASE level A.
The subjects that exhibited the greatest disparities based on socio-economic status included English, Economics A, Mathematics A, Physics and Chemistry A, Descriptive Geometry A, Biology and Geology, and Philosophy.
There is also a discrepancy in grades given by teachers for work done over the year by students from private and public schools: In private schools, the internal average was nearly two points higher.
Last year, the average for students enrolled in scientific-humanistic courses (CCH) in public schools was 15 points, while for those in private schools, it was 16.9 points, a trend that has persisted for at least seven years.
Internal grades have been on the rise, with the most frequently given score last year in public schools being 17 points, compared to 19 in private schools.
Final grades are highest for annual subjects, based on an analysis of results from 111,000 public school students and 12,591 private school students.
For subjects like Information Technology B and English, a high number of students finish the year with top marks or 19 points, making them the annual subjects with the highest grades.
Physical Education remains the three-year subject with the best results among students: The national average was 16.9 points in public schools and 18.2 in private schools. Among biennial courses, Spanish and English stood out in public schools, while Philosophy, Biology and Geology, and Economics A were prominent in private schools.
Comparing fields of study, the top-performing students are those in science and technology courses, followed by those in socioeconomic sciences.
Girls continue to generally achieve better results, excelling particularly in Portuguese, Mathematics A, and Philosophy, whereas boys performed better in History A, Physics and Chemistry A, Descriptive Geometry A, and Geography A.
