The Constitution mandates free and compulsory primary and secondary education in the Republic of Macedonia, and the Law on Primary Education specifies that all children from 7 to 15 years of age attend school for a compulsory 8 years. The Law on High School Education specifies that all adolescents from the ages of 15 - 19 must attend high school for 4 years (or 3 years - depending on the type of school)[2]
In 1996, the gross primary enrollment rate was 99.1 percent and the net primary enrollment rate was 95.3 percent.[2] Dropout rates for girls in primary and secondary school are high, particularly among ethnic Roma or Albanian children.[2]