Primary School Net and Gross Attendance Rates, Kenya
Nearly 90% of primary school age
children in Kenya attend school with
slightly more females than males
attending.
Primary School Net Attendance Rate
100
82
82
89
82
87
88
80
Female
60
%
88% of children ages 6-13 attend
primary school.
40
Male
20
Both
0
2003
2008
Primary School Gross Attendance Rate
87% of boys ages 6-13 attend school,
compared to 89% of girls.
Between 2003 and 2008 primary
school attendance rates has increased
by 6 percentage points.
140
120
100
80
%
60
40
20
0
110
116
113
115
120
118
Female
Male
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8
Min
Max
Both
2003
2008
Source: Demographic and Health Survey
Many children attending primary school are outside of the official age range. This is reflected in the
difference between net and gross attendance rates. This can have tremendous impact on the educational
infrastructure, the experience in the classroom, and educational planning.
The net attendance ratio (NAR) is the percentage of the official primary school-age population that attends primary school. The gross
attendance ratio (GAR) is the total number of students attending primary school - regardless of age - expressed as a percentage of the
official primary school-age population.
Over-Age, Under-Age, and On-Time Students in Primary School, Kenya
Only about 21% of primary school students are in the appropriate grade for their age; the on-time
proportion declines in the higher grades.
65% of the male primary school students
2008
and 60% of the female students are
Over Age
On Time
Under Age
100%
over-age.
80%
The percentage of males who are overage ranges from 50% to 80%. The
percentage for females ranges from 46%
to 70%.
60%
40%
20%
0%
F
M
F
M
F
M
F
M
F
M
F
M
F
M
F
M
Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8
Source: Demographic and Health Survey
6
About 17% of primary school students
are younger that the official age for the
grade that they are attending.
The Implications of Over-Age/Under-Age Students
For the system: Both late entry into primary school and grade repetition can cause children to be over-age for
their grade. High repetition rates indicate inefficiency in the education system.
In the classroom: Large numbers of over-age students present a challenge for teachers who must teach a more
diverse group with differing levels of maturity and school preparedness.
Students are considered to be on time if they are at the official age for the grade; over age if they are one or more years older; and under age if they
are one or more years younger.
7
Primary School Net Attendance Rate in Urban and Rural Areas, Kenya
Primary School Net Attendance Rate
100
Children in urban areas are slightly
more likely to attend school than
children in rural areas.
92
92
92
89
86
2008
87
80
60
Female
%
Male
40
Both
In urban areas, 92% of children of
primary school age attend school,
compared to 87% in rural areas.
20
10
0
Urban
Rural
Source: Demographic and Health Survey
No gender disparity can be observed in either urban or rural areas.
Primary School Net Attendace Rate by Region, Kenya
Some regional disparities in primary school attendance in Kenya can be observed.
Primary net attendance is highest in the Central region (96%);
attendance is lowest in the North Eastern region (62%).
Gender disparity is lowest in the Nyanza region and highest in the
North Eastern region.
In 6 of the 7 regions, more than two thirds of primary school age
children attend school.
12
2008
Primary School Net Attendance Rate
100
97
96
90
92
84
89
94
95
94
93
93
85
82
88
81
80
66
70
57
60
Female
50
40
30
Male
20
10
0
Central
Coast
Eastern
Nairobi
North Eastern
Nyanza
Rift Valley
Western
Source: Demographic and Health Survey
Secondary School Net and Gross Attendance Rates, Kenya
About a quarter of secondary school age youth attend school.
13
Secondary School Net Attendance Rate
26% of youth ages 14-17 attend
secondary school.
100
14
80
Female
60
27% of males ages 14-17 attend school,
compared to 26% of females.
15
%
Male
40
26
15
20
Students over or under the official
secondary school age range make up
21% of the secondary school age
population.
27
26
Both
14
14
0
2003
2008
Secondary School Gross Attendance Rate
100
80
There are more over-age or under-age
males than females in secondary school.
Female
53
60
%
41
40
22
24
47
Male
23
Both
20
0
2003
2008
Source: Demographic and Health Survey
Secondary School Net Attendance Rate in Urban and Rural Areas, Kenya
There are twice as many youth attending secondary school in urban areas as compared to rural areas.
In urban areas, 45% of children of
secondary school age attend school,
compared to 23% in rural areas.
2008
Secondary School Net Attendance Rate in Urban and Rural Areas
17
100
80
Gender disparity is higher in
urban areas.
60
53
Female
45
%
40
Male
38
23
Much more effort needs to be
placed on increasing secondary
education, especially in rural areas.
22
23
20
0
Urban
Rural
Source: Demographic and Health Survey
Both
Secondary School Net Attendace Rate by Region, Kenya
2008
Secondary School Net Attendance Rate
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
64
48
42
34
21
Central
27
27
Coast
30
22
13
Eastern
Nairobi
25
22
15
Female
28
12
North Eastern
Nyanza
Rift Valley
21
Male
Western
Source: Demographic and Health Survey
Secondary net attendance is highest in the Nairobi region (55%); attendance is lowest in the
North Eastern region (14%).
Gender disparity is highest in the Nairobi region and lowest in the North Eastern region.
School Attendance by Age and Sex, Kenya
Female
There are as many girls as boys
attending school up to age 13, in
older age groups the percentage
of boys attending school tends to
be higher than girls.
2008
Male
100
90
80
70
60
% 50
40
30
20
10
0
6
7
8
9
10
11
Age
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Source: Demographic and Health Survey
Repetition, Dropout, and Promotion Rates by Grade, Kenya
Repetition rate ranges from 2% in grade 1 of secondary school to 11% in grade 8 of primary
school.
Dropout rate is highest in grade 8 of primary school (21%) and lowest in grade 1 of primary school
(0%).
2007
Dropout Rate
Repetition Rate
Promotion Rate
100%
21
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Prim G1 Prim G2 Prim G3 Prim G4 Prim G5 Prim G6 Prim G7 Prim G8
Sec G1
Sec G2
Sec G3
Source: Demographic and Health Survey
Sec G4
Primary School Completion Rates, Kenya
The probability of completing primary school is higher
in urban than rural areas, and increases with the
relative wealth of the student's household.
Completion in primary school has
increased since 2003 and is higher among
girls.
2008
2008
81
2008
Rural
77
78
Urban
111
Both
86
Male
Female
Richest (Quintile 5)
70
2003
115
Richer (Quintile 4)
70
100
Middle (Quintile 3)
83
Poorer (Quintile 2)
69
84
Poorest (Quintile 1)
0
20
40
60
80
47
100
0
50
100
150
National
Source: Demographic and Health Survey
Source: Demographic and Health Survey
Male
15-49
The primary school completion rate is the total number of students attending the last grade of primary school - regardless of age expressed as a percentage of the official last grade of primary school-age population.
Educational Attainment, Kenya
There are more women than man with no education across all age groups, but the gender gap decreases
among younger generations.
Among the population aged 15 years old and above, 4% of men and 9% of women have no education.
2% of men and 5% of women who are 15-19 year old have never attended school.
Only 8% of the population aged 15 years old and above have post-secondary education.
2009
Female
Male
Post-secondary
Secondary complete
Secondary Incomplete
Post-secondary
Secondary complete
Secondary Incomplete
Primary complete
Primary incomplete
No education
Primary complete
Primary incomplete
No education
5
44
8
25
9
24
8
22
29
33
32
11
25
32
15
23
20
22
22
12
30
10
25-29
13
9
30-34
13
8
17
9
35-39
12
19
9
14
18
24
80
5
17
8
4
25
60
8
11
17
40
20
5
40-44
5
45-49
12
50-54
9
6
55-59
11
60-64
11
3 011
0
23
65+
5
0
3
27
8
14
22
15
19
34
40
6
19
19
27
12
20
31
8
4
15
29
9
5
23
31
6
17
6
25
10
4
24
7
24
18
3
24
29
9
26
22
27
7
27
2
26
9
22
12
50
14
15
7
13 4
18
24
16
77
100
24
10
15
24
56
20-24
10
28
44
15-19 1 6
8
10
8
26
35
7 1
19
21
40
60
80
Source: Demographic and Health Survey
100
Female Literacy Rates, Kenya
2009
15-24 Year Old Female Literacy Rate,
Rural
15-24 Year Old Female Literacy Rate,
Urban
22
7
Can read
10
Can read
Cannot read
Cannot read
93
90
Source: Demographic and Health Survey
Source: Demographic and Health Survey
93% of women age 15-24 in urban areas can read, compared to 90% in rural areas.
The percentage of women who can read is 64% among women age 45-49 and 93% among women
age 15-19.
2009
Literacy Rate of Women 15-24 Years Old by
Grade Completed
Female Literacy Rate by Age
15-49
86
Prim G7
97
Prim G6
15-19
94
93
20-24
89
Prim G5
25-29
88
Prim G4
30-34
86
23
73
86
35-39
Prim G3
#N/A
Prim G2
#N/A
No education
6
84
40-44
78
45-49
64
0
20
40
60
80
100
24
0
20
40
60
80
%
%
Source: Demographic and Health Survey
Source: Demographic and Health Survey
73% of women who completed grade 4 can read and literacy rate increases with level of education
completed.
100