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 2023/24. Source: Skolverket open data, Kolada and SCB. Processed by Skolkoll. Glossary · About the data.