Religion, science and maths most common subjects dropped by Victorian students between year 11 and 12
New data shows that the VCE subjects most frequently dropped by students as they move from Year 11 to Year 12 are religion, science and mathematics; However, in the Victorian era, fewer students abandoned the more difficult mathematics for easier learning.
Students taking the unit 2 VCE course, usually taken in year 11, failed to continue to unit 4 47,040 times from 2025 to 2026, according to Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) figures.
While it is common for students to take six subjects in year 11 and five in year 12, and to drop a subject as they move between year levels, these choices reveal insights into their strengths, interests and career choices.
Students downgraded VCE religion and society at the highest rate. By unit 4, 9,216 fewer students were enrolled; a decrease of 87 percent compared to unit 2. Many religious schools require students to take religion classes.
A spokesperson for the Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of Melbourne said students in Year 12 often did so through alternative routes, including school-based programs that did not contribute to the VCE.
“This reflects choices commonly made by students across a range of VCE studies as they focus their academic efforts on other subjects that may be more directly aligned with their future career or educational pathway, such as meeting pre-requisites for university courses,” the spokesperson said.
Of greater concern to educators and industry groups is the persistent trend not to continue to unit 4 in science and maths subjects, including biology (2888 fewer students), chemistry (2784 fewer) and maths methods (2762 fewer), despite pressure to increase the national flow of graduates in STEM fields.
However, there are early signs that this trend is reversing in mathematical methods, which involve more abstract problem solving and is the fourth most frequently dropped subject at VCE.
In 2021, 18 percent of students interested in math methods dropped out of the generally more accessible general math course in 12th grade. Last year, this rate dropped to 13.9 percent. General method enrollments in year 11 increased over the same period.
“Victorian students are increasingly choosing to stay with higher level mathematics; the rate of transfer from mathematical methods to general mathematics has fallen every year for the last five years,” a VCAA spokesman said.
Sion Binoy, 17, was among students who abandoned maths methods to take general maths courses in Year 12 at Viewbank College in Melbourne’s northeast this year.
He said the methods took so much time that they overshadowed his other subjects.
“Most people do pretty well as long as they do homework in class,” he said of general math. “It’s not as big a time commitment as some of the other math subjects.”
Binoy said he still enjoys mathematics, it is more objective than other subjects and general mathematics is more practical.
“If you didn’t get a grade, it’s not because of the teacher’s choice or anything like that, it’s just because you misunderstood,” he said.
“And there’s a simple way to get better; it’s just to ask more questions.”
Bernadette Foley, director of professional standards group Engineers Australia, said there was a worrying national trend for many young people to abandon mathematics altogether.
“Nearly one in three students now completes secondary school without any math education. This closes the door for many students before they have a chance to explore where those pathways may lead,” Foley said.
Increasing prerequisites for college courses isn’t necessarily the solution, he said. He suggests that a better solution is to change the perception that STEM are “hard subjects” and instead focus on the real-world improvement opportunities they bring in fields such as health, environment and technology.
“Many students are much more talented than they think. The challenge is to build confidence, especially among students who are creative, curious, and want to make a difference, and help them see that STEM is a way to do exactly that,” Foley said.
A Department for Education spokesperson said VCE aims to be flexible so students can create the learning program that best suits them.
“The only mandatory component is a study in English,” the spokesman said.
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Jackson Graham is an education correspondent for The Age. He was previously an explanatory reporter.Connect via email.
