[What Do You Think? Over 18,000 High School Dropouts Focus Solely on the CSAT]

Surge in "Jeongsi Fighters" Focusing Solely on the CSAT
Students Shift to CSAT When School Grades Are Unfavorable
More Dropouts in Seoul and Gyeonggi, Where Educational Competition Is Fierce
Number Expected to Rise Further With Introduction of "5-Tier Grading System"

The number of high school dropouts has increased for five consecutive years, surpassing 18,000 as of last year. This trend indicates that students who find themselves at a disadvantage with their school grades are opting to take the qualification exam and focus entirely on the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). As a result, the term "Jeongsi Fighter" has even emerged in educational circles to refer to these students.

According to an analysis of School Info Disclosure data by Jongro Academy on June 10, the number of general high school dropouts nationwide last year was 18,498, an increase of 1,258 students (7.3%) compared to 2023.

The number of dropouts has been increasing every year. After a sharp rise from 9,504 in 2020 to 12,798 in 2021 (a 34.7% increase), the figures continued to grow, reaching 15,520 in 2022 and 17,240 in 2023, representing annual increases of 10 to 20%.

In particular, the number of dropouts was especially high in the Seoul and Gyeonggi regions. In Seoul, the number of general high school dropouts last year was 2,955, a 9.36% increase from 2023, exceeding the national average increase rate of 7.30%. In Gyeonggi, 6,341 students dropped out, an increase of 437 students (7.40%) from 2023, making it the region with the largest number of dropouts. Other regions reported the following numbers: Gyeongnam 1,193, Busan 778, Gyeongbuk 759, Chungnam 741, Gwangju 691, Jeonbuk 669, Daegu 661, Daejeon 500, Gangwon 469, Jeonnam 467, Chungbuk 438, Sejong 297, Ulsan 284, and Jeju 250.

This suggests that regions with higher educational fervor and more intense competition for college entrance tend to have more dropouts. In areas with a high number of dropouts, more students perceive themselves as being at a disadvantage in terms of school grades and thus choose to drop out to focus on the CSAT rather than school records. This analysis is further supported by the fact that, when classifying dropouts by school type, the number of dropouts from autonomous private high schools nearly doubled (14.4%) compared to general high schools.

The issue is that the number of dropouts may increase further with the introduction of the "5-tier grading system" for school records, which will take effect for the 2028 academic year. Under the "2028 College Admission Reform Plan," starting with current first-year high school students, the current 9-tier grading system will be replaced by a 5-tier system. In this system, it is anticipated that even students who achieve an A grade in the absolute evaluation of academic achievement may not be able to receive a first-tier grade in school records.

Both academic achievement (absolute evaluation) and rank-based grades are recorded on high school transcripts and used for college admissions. An A grade in academic achievement is awarded for scores of 90 or above, but only the top 4% receive a first-tier grade in the current rank-based system. With the change from a 9-tier to a 5-tier system, up to 10% will receive a first-tier grade, but since 18.3% of students at general high schools receive an A grade, the remaining 8.3% will be pushed down to a second-tier grade even if they score 90 or above. The situation is even more disadvantageous for students at special-purpose and autonomous private high schools, where 40.4% of students receive an A grade, making it even harder to obtain a top-tier grade under the new system.

Lim Seongho, CEO of Jongro Academy, said, "Students aiming for major universities in Seoul will mostly be in the first tier under the 5-tier grading system," adding, "However, as soon as their grades fall below the second tier, they may begin to consider dropping out."