Academic grading in Croatia
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In Croatia the following official grade scale applies to elementary school, high school and university students:
The grade 1 (nedovoljan) is a failing grade, while grades 2 through 5 are passing grades.
Many teachers use minus and plus symbols as grade modifiers. For example, "−5" denotes a grade slightly lower than "excellent", while "+4" denotes a grade slightly higher than "very good". Half-grades such as "4/5" are also used. These modifiers are unofficial and do not appear in final grade reports.
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Conduct grading
Conduct (vladanje) is graded on a 3-point descriptive scale:
- Poor (loše)
- Good (dobro)
- Exemplary (uzorno)
In practice, most students receive "exemplary" conduct grades. Conduct grade does not count towards the grade point average.
Grade point average
Grade point average (GPA) is calculated as the arithmetic mean of all numerical grades:
- 1.00–1.99 Insufficient
- 2.00–2.49 Sufficient
- 2.50–3.49 Good
- 3.50–4.49 Very good
- 4.50–5.00 Excellent
Grade inflation
A significant grade inflation has been observed in primary education and, to a lesser degree, in secondary education. In the 2008/09 school year, almost 168,000 out of 365,000 elementary school students were graded "excellent" by their grade point average. Parent pressure on teachers has been identified as a major cause. In the school year 2023/2024, 46% of elementary school students passed with a GPA in the range of "excellent". Although the country has seen a drop in students passing with a GPA of 5.0, the steady increase of high-grade students has put pressure on more prestigious highschools (especially in the capital of Zagreb) to further restrict enrollment by introducing preliminary exams.
A national exam was introduced in 2022 for all students to take in year 8, throughout March. These exams were then expanded to include year 4 students in 2024. Although national exams have been viewed as a solution to grade inflation, the exams do not impact grade averages or highschool enrollment as of 2024, which they have been criticised for by teachers.