Multidimensional Factors Affecting Senior High School Graduation Rates in Indonesia

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the influence of the number of high school teachers, the student-teacher ratio, regional education expenditure, the Human Development Index (HDI), and school infrastructure on high school student graduation rates in Indonesia. The study used a quantitative approach with a descriptive-inferential design based on secondary data from the Indonesian Central Statistics Agency (BPS) in 2023 for 34 provinces with complete data. The analysis was conducted using multiple linear regression to examine the multidimensional relationships between variables. The results show that the number of high school teachers, regional education expenditure, the HDI, and school infrastructure have a significant positive effect on student graduation rates, while the student-teacher ratio has a significant negative effect. Among all variables, the HDI has the strongest contribution to secondary education attainment. The regression model has a fairly strong explanatory power with an R² value of 0.50. These findings indicate that improving the quality of secondary education depends not only on the number of educators but also requires support from socio-economic development, educational investment, proportional teacher distribution, and strengthening of school infrastructure. Academically, this study strengthens the development of quantitative studies of education through a more comprehensive multivariate approach. Practically, the research results can serve as an empirical basis for the government in formulating national education equality policies that are more effective, equitable, and data-based.