Project: High School Dropout among Students in Troms County—Causes, Consequences and Proposed Measures.

The dropout rate among high school students is high. Only 69 percent of Norwegian high school students obtained general high school diplomas or vocational certification, measured five years after beginning foundational courses for the first time in 2002. In Troms County the dropout rate during the same period was above the national average; only 47 percent of high school students finished on time, and three out of ten did not complete high school at all. Dropping out is highest among students/apprentices in vocational studies, where almost three out of ten students who began foundational courses in 2002 had dropped out during the course of their training, compared with just under one in ten students in general education studies.

The reasons for dropout is complex and may involve the school's values​​, goals, methods, and how the individual student is included, and the student's qualifications and motivation for meeting with the school. More knowledge about these conditions is necessary to improve the school program. 

The project will include all eighteen schools with students from the first high school level courses in schools in Troms County, approximately 2,600 students. There will also be eight interviews conducted with teachers in focus groups and interviews with eight principals.

The intention of this study is to gain new knowledge about the causes and consequences of dropping out of school in the county, but also to develop a knowledge base in the field, with material that may be used in follow-up and new future investigations.