Senior Secondary Education

After the ninth grade, entrance to the next level of education is determined by examination only, although some experimentation is being carried out in Taipei to allow for entrance according to academic records instead.

The senior level of secondary education includes senior high schools (three-year academic, college-preparatory high schools); three-year vocational high schools; and an alternative unique to Taiwan, the five-year junior college program.

The high schools are divided almost evenly between public and private, with the private ones having a slight edge, while the five-year junior colleges are mostly private. In 1996-97, 90.77% of junior high school graduates entered one of these three senior secondary level programs.