Satisfaction vs Merit value

Each bubble a municipality. Satisfaction (yr 8) against average merit value.

Schools should deliver both good results and pupil well-being — but how well do these align? The chart places each municipality in a satisfaction-merit space. Are there municipalities where pupils are happy but grades are low? Municipalities with high grades but dissatisfaction? The answer adds nuance to the one-dimensional fixation on grades.

Cite
Skolkoll (2024). Satisfaction vs Merit value. Skolkoll.se. Retrieved 2024-12-31 from https://skolkoll.se/en/statistics/satisfaction-vs-merit/
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skolkoll.se/en/statistics/satisfaction-vs-merit — retrieved 2024-12-31 (data: Skolverket, 2024/25)
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@misc{skolkoll2024_satisfactionvsmeritv,
  author = {Skolkoll},
  title = {Satisfaction vs Merit value},
  year = {2024},
  url = {https://skolkoll.se/en/statistics/satisfaction-vs-merit/},
  note = {Retrieved 2024-12-31. Data: Skolverket, 2024/25}
}
License: CC BY 4.0 · Source: Skolverket, 2024/25

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Happy pupils and high grades — do they go together?

Education policy has long focused on measurable results — merit values, qualification rates, national test scores. But pupils' experience of school is also measured: the School Survey asks year 8 pupils about satisfaction, study environment and safety every year.

The chart sets each municipality's average pupil satisfaction (year 8) against average merit values. The four quadrants tell four different stories: municipalities that succeed on both (upper right corner), municipalities that fail on both (lower left), and the interesting exceptions — high grades but low satisfaction, or vice versa.

'Happy schools with mediocre grades' and 'pressured top schools' are not myths — they exist in the data. But the majority of municipalities follow a positive correlation: well-being and results tend to co-vary.

The correlation is positive but weak (r ~ 0.3–0.4). There is room for municipalities to improve one without sacrificing the other. And there are municipalities that prove both are possible.

Statistics: academic year 2024/25. Source: Skolverket open data, Kolada and SCB. Processed by Skolkoll.Glossary · About the data.

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