Almost 1 in 10 Portuguese schools had a failing average in the national exams in 2021. This shows a decrease in grades in comparison to 2020. Of the 487 schools observed by Lusa, 41 had a failing average, with a little over 90% having a positive one.
Most of the failing averages happened in Portuguese public schools, around 38 of 416 public schools. Only three of the 71 private schools had a failing average.
In 2021, the average grade for public schools continued to get closer to private schools, with a 1,4 difference (on a grade scale from 0 to 20).
The average grade for private schools in Portugal was 12,7 and 11,3 for public schools in 2021. Grades went down significantly as the average for private schools was 14,3 in 2020 and 12,8 for public schools.
The private school Colegio Efanor in Porto had the highest average in the country, with 16,16, overtaking the Colégio Nossa Senhora do Rosário which has topped the ranking in the last few years.
The next schools on the ranking were Colégio Nova Encosta (15,96), Colégio D. Diogo de Sousa (15,84), and Colégio Nossa Senhora do Rosário (15,81) in fourth place.
The first public school to appear in the ranking is Escola Artística António Arroio from Lisbon, placed in 31st place. Public schools have gone up the ranking by three places in comparison to 2020.
Girls did better than boys in the national exams in 2021. Girls had an average of 11,86 (13,25 in the previous year), while boys had an average of 10,99 (12,85 in the previous year).
Viana do Castelo was once again the district with the best national exam results (11,98), followed by Porto and Viseu. Lisbon took 10th place with an average of 11,4.
Once again, the lowest averages occurred for students taking their exams in a foreign country (10), as well as in the Azores (10,83).
For the second year in a row, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the national exams of 2021 had various optional questions and the exams were not mandatory to finish high school.
However, last year, the mandatory exam questions increased and the optional ones decreased.
