Changes in Female Primary and Secondary School Enrolment in El Salvador since the Early 1980s

This chapter focuses on female education in El Salvador during and immediately after the civil war (1979–1992), during which major disruptions were observed in the country’s education system. However, the education situation has improved significantly in the past few decades. To examine the enrolment of female students from entry to graduation or dropout, this study followed 1758 female primary and lower secondary school students in three cohorts, namely, early 1980s, late 1980s and 1990s, in a regional El Salvadorean city. We found two specific situations in all cohorts—those who dropped out during the first few years of school and those who continued until graduation. The primary-level dropout pattern analysis clarified that grade repetition was not the primary reason for dropping out. The enrolment pattern analysis classified by the last grade passed, excluding Grade 0, revealed that the primary enrolment pattern did not include grade repetition, that is, most girls who abruptly quit school had not repeated a grade. Due to the significant improvements in recent years in El Salvador, analysing education enrolment increases in a country that was severely disrupted by civil war could be instructive for countries that have had similar experiences.