Dropouts rise among students from multicultural families

A student attends a class at Seonil Middle School in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, July 26, 2023. Seonil Middle School is one of four schools in the province designated as a multicultural international innovation school, with 70 percent of its students from immigrant families. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

The number of students in Korea from multicultural backgrounds surpassed 200,000 for the first time this year, yet many continue to face challenges in the classroom, according to recent government data.

Data released Sunday by Rep. Kang Kyung-sook of the Rebuilding Korea Party showed that students from multicultural families accounted for 477 high school dropouts during the 2023 academic year, a 2.22 percent dropout rate, according to the Ministry of Education.

The rate has gone up steadily — from 1.36 percent in 2020 to 1.93 percent in 2021 and 1.99 percent in 2022 — surpassing 2 percent for the first time last year. This figure is higher than the nationwide high school dropout rate, which reached 2.0 percent in 2023.

The most common reason students from multicultural backgrounds cited for leaving school was difficulty adapting, according to the data. In 2023, more than 200 students pointed to challenges in school life — including struggles with Korean-language classes — as a key factor. Educational experts estimate that the majority of students from multicultural backgrounds score in the lowest achievement tier on national assessments.

According to a 2024 government survey, 57.8 percent of students from multicultural backgrounds said they had participated in private tutoring over the past year, compared to 81.4 percent of the total. At the same time, college entrance rates for these students remained lower, with only 61.8 percent entering a four-year university despite 71.6 percent expressing hopes to do so.

Although the figure marks a significant increase from 2021, when only about 4 out of every 10 multicultural students went to university, it still remains 13 percentage points lower than the average national rate.

"As the number of students with multicultural backgrounds rises, schools must go beyond language support to give integrated help that covers academics, emotional well-being and career guidance," Kang said, urging the government to provide stronger support for these students to ensure they adapt and thrive in school.