The school dropout rate for men is three times higher than that for women.

PalmThe school dropout rate, one of the main weaknesses of the Balearic education system, has fallen to 15.22% in 2025, the lowest figure in the last decade and almost five percentage points lower than in 2024, when it stood at 20.14%. Despite the improvement, the gender gap remains significant: the dropout rate among boys reaches 23.02%, while among girls it stands at 7.46%. The data confirms a downward trend after years in which the Balearic Islands led the country in this indicator.

The reduction consolidates the decline recorded in recent years. In 2015, the early school leaving rate in the Balearic Islands was 26.71%, well above the national average. Now, the archipelago has gone from being the autonomous community with the highest school dropout rate to occupying the fifth worst position. Despite the decrease, the Government emphasizes that the figure is still high and that combating school dropout is one of its main educational priorities.

The Minister of Education, Antoni Vera, has appealed to society and the business sector: "We are providing everything: new regulations, financial resources, the design of new programs, and new ideas, but we need the collaboration of society. Combating school dropout in a region with a strong service sector, where we also have an influx of students from non-European education systems, makes it more difficult to integrate them. It's a sword of Damocles hanging over us regarding school dropout," he said. "An opportunity was missed with the new hospitality agreement to prioritize training. It is precisely in this sector where a significant portion of dropouts among 16- to 21-year-olds are concentrated. The next collective agreement should take training into account," he added. In this context, the Ministry of Education has launched a new program for tracking and preventing school dropout with the aim of strengthening the early detection of at-risk situations and improving support for young people throughout their educational journey. The program will be deployed through the network of Academic and Professional Guidance Points (POAP) and will incorporate a personalized follow-up system that will also allow contact with young people who have already dropped out of their studies to offer them educational or employment alternatives.

Three phases

The model is structured in three phases of intervention. The first focuses on general prevention and includes guidance activities for all students, such as tutoring, information sessions for families and teachers, specific training for teachers, and visits to vocational training centers. Tools such as the Start FP form are also introduced to detect risk indicators, along with the academic and career guidance record for each student and initiatives like the 'L'FP t'escolta' (Vocational Training Listens to You) meetings. The second phase targets students, especially those in vocational training, who show demotivation or express a desire to drop out. In these cases, educational centers, with the support of the POAP (Program for the Promotion of Academic and Professional Development), will conduct more intensive follow-up based on the results of the form and will use specific tools, such as the Anclaje system, to identify situations that were not initially detected and activate the prevention program when necessary.

The third phase is designed for cases where students have already dropped out. In these situations, individualized support sessions, a personalized assessment of each case, and a coordinated transition are planned when the young person enrolls in a new educational center or training or employment program. At the same time, the Regional Ministry is also preparing to update the Initial Qualification Programs (PQI) and the Specific Initial Qualification Programs (PQIE), aimed at young people between 16 and 21 years old without a Secondary Education Certificate (ESO) – up to 22 in some cases – and, in the case of the PQIE, at students with disabilities. The reform aims to expand the offerings, adapt the programs to the national framework, and increase their flexibility, with the possibility of offering Level 1 professional certificates. The rollout of the new model is planned to begin in the 2026-2027 academic year. These initiatives complement other measures implemented in recent years to strengthen vocational training as an educational alternative. In the last two academic years, the Regional Ministry of Education has created 1,078 new vocational training places, added 278 specialized teachers, and launched 65 new training programs. Currently, nearly 21,000 students are enrolled in vocational training in the Balearic Islands. These initiatives are complemented by an increase in guidance services in schools, with the addition of 87 new guidance counselors and the introduction of educational psychologists, a pioneering initiative in the Balearic Islands that aims to strengthen personalized student support. According to the Government, the objective is to continue expanding educational options and prevent young people from dropping out of the education system due to a lack of alternatives or support.