What Do National Tests Show About Students’ Performance at the End of Primary School in Different Municipalities?

One of the key principles of education policy is equal opportunities for children to access quality education. This principle applies not only to the allocation of resources but also to the equality of educational outcomes at both the individual and social group levels. This study analyses students’ (15–16 years old) performance in the national examinations (centralised examinations of school year 2022/2023) in Latvian, mathematics, and the first foreign language (English) at the end of compulsory education in the context of different municipalities. Students’ performance was analysed within 43 municipalities using classical test theory and test-response theory (Rasch model). In most municipalities, students’ performance on the national test in mathematics, Latvian language and the first foreign language (English) is in line with average performance. The results of the national examinations show a geographical correlation in the distribution of students’ performance between municipalities. High performance is mainly found in some municipalities of the Baltic Sea Region, and in mathematics, also in Riga. No geographical correlation was found in the municipalities with low performance in mathematics, while low performance in Latvian and English was found in several municipalities in the Latgale region. The comparison of the performance of educational institutions in the national examination shows that there are significant differences not only between municipalities but also between educational institutions within the same municipality. The analysis of the results indicates significant risks of unequal opportunities for access to quality education. This is particularly the case in the country's largest cities: Riga, Daugavpils, and Jelgava.