Fig. 1
From: Mental health and school dropout across educational levels and genders: a 4.8-year follow-up study
The normative educational pathway in the Danish school system. Elementary school is the only mandatory educational level in Denmark. This level is mandatory for 9 years, but a 10th grade is optional and offered at some schools. Not entering upper secondary school is called “early school leaving”. This scenario may lead to employment in unskilled work. Upper secondary education can be either general or vocational (duration typically 1.5–3 years). The vocational secondary track qualifies one for skilled work, while the general track is compulsory before entering a higher education. A minor group (dashed line) enters the vocational secondary track after completing the general secondary level. Higher education qualifies one for academic work. Higher education can be accomplished by achieving a bachelor degree (duration 3–3.5 years), a master degree (duration further 2–2½ years) or a Ph.D. (duration further 3 years) [39]. The figure is normative, which means that some might choose non-traditional tracks, e.g. by entering unskilled work after completing general secondary instead of enrolling in higher education