August 11, 2025
SEOUL – Gangnam, Seocho and Songpa, known collectively as Seoul’s “Gangnam 3 districts” and home to South Korea’s most competitive school zones, recorded the highest dropout rates among general high schools in the capital last year.
According to the Korea Educational Development Institute’s regional dropout statistics released Sunday, both Gangnam-gu and Seocho-gu posted dropout rates of 2.7 percent in 2024, meaning that two to three out of every 100 students left school before graduation. Songpa-gu followed with 2.1 percent.
These figures have risen steadily over the past few years. In Gangnam, the rate increased from 1.4 percent in 2021 to 1.9 percent in 2022, 2.2 percent in 2023, and 2.7 percent last year.
Seocho saw a jump from 1.3 percent in 2021 to 2.4 percent in 2022, dipped to 1.8 percent in 2023, then surged again to 2.7 percent in 2024. Songpa entered the 2 percent range in 2023 after holding steady in the 1 percent range in the two years prior.
Going all-in on Suneung
The primary reason, experts say, is that students in these districts face an exceptionally steep climb to secure top grades at schools. The competition is fierce, and earning a first-tier grade point average is notoriously difficult. A single misstep in a midterm or final exam can make it nearly impossible to recover one’s ranking.
Rather than remaining in school and risking lower grades, some students opt to withdraw early, take the national qualification exam, which gives them the equivalent of a high school diploma, and focus exclusively on preparing for Suneung, the country’s national college entrance exam that students can take only once a year.
“I was ranked near the top in middle school, but after the first high school exams, I dropped to the third tier,” said a student surnamed Kim, a second-year student in Gangnam who left school in March.
“Here, even one wrong move in an exam can ruin your university chances. For me, it made more sense to just focus on the Suneung.”
Parents echo that sentiment. “We didn’t want our son to quit school, but staying meant his grades would drag him down in admissions,” said Lee, mother to Kim. “This way, he can study without the distraction of school activities or grades that don’t reflect his real potential.”
This strategy appears to be gaining traction. Among this year’s incoming freshmen at Seoul National University, Korea University and Yonsei University — the country’s most prestigious institutions — 259 students had passed the qualification exam, a 37 percent jump from last year and the highest number in eight years.
The trend may accelerate under the five-tier grading system introduced for first-year high school students this year, replacing the previous nine-tier scale. The new system significantly narrows the differentiation among top-performing students, making it harder for elite applicants to stand out.
“In the five-tier system, if you’re not in the top 10 percent, you immediately drop into the 11-34 percent range, which is the second tier,” said Im Seong-ho, head of Jongro Academy. “Students who failed to secure first-tier grades in the first semester are now seriously considering whether to drop out.”
Some private academies have already adapted to the demand, offering “package courses” that combine Suneung preparation with qualification exam study.
One more unofficial year of high school
For many students in Gangnam and other competitive districts, the three-year high school curriculum is no longer seen as enough to secure a place at a top university. An increasing number expect to spend a “fourth year” after graduation at specialized private academies devoted solely to Suneung prep.
This extra year, often considered part of the academic plan from the outset, comes with a steep price. Intensive one-year Suneung programs at these academies can cost as much as 50 million won ($36,000) in tuition, lodging and related expenses.
While some parents see it as a necessary investment in their child’s future, critics warn that the pressure-cooker environment, both in school and in the private education market, is driving more students to abandon the standard curriculum altogether, as well as necessary education in socializing and growing up as a member of a society.
