One-quarter of Nunavut students finish high school, stats suggest

Roughly one in four students who enteredNunavut's high school system went on to graduate in 2004, 2005 and 2006, says the territory's Education Department.

Since 2001, less than half of students starting Grade 12 graduated at year's end, newly released statistics show.

Deputy Education Minister Kathy Ookpik said her department is working on making Nunavut's academic curriculum more appealing to students, partly by introducing some trades programs.

"They want to see other options besides just academics, so we're looking at different types of components," Ookpik told CBC News.

"For example, trades, pre-trades, innovation technology, arts and crafts. We're looking at culture, and language and entrepreneurship."

Ookpiksaid her department also wants to improve mature education programs for returning students.

Nunavut has long been dealing with one of the lowest graduation rates in Canada. In 2001, only one-quarter of students graduated from high school.