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 6 to 15 years of age attend school for a compulsory 9 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)
In 1996, the gross primary enrollment rate was 99.1 percent and the net primary enrollment rate was 95.3 percent. Dropout rates for girls in primary and secondary school are high, particularly among ethnic Roma or Albanian children.