An empty classroom. Photo: Wiki Commons.

Israeli students from Druze schools are among the most likely to successfully complete their high school matriculation exams, according to data released by the Education Ministry on Tuesday.

Data for the 2020-2021 school year found that the Druze towns of Buq’ata in the Golan Heights and Peki’in in the Upper Galilee had the highest rate — 100% — of students eligible to receive their high school matriculation certificates, known as teudat bagrut. The document, which is a prerequisite for students seeking higher education, is awarded to those who pass the Ministry of Education’s matriculation exams.

Other towns on the list — which generally have relatively small class sizes — are the Druze town of Beit Jann on Mount Meron (99%), the Arab town of Kaukab Abu al-Hija in the Lower Galilee (99%), and the Druze town of Hurfeish in the Upper Galilee (98%).

Also high performing were the settlements of Elkana and Ariel in the West Bank, with a 99% and 96% eligibility rate respectively, local media reported.

Cities with a higher population that also made an appearance at the top of the list include Givatayim (98%), Ramat Hasharon (97%), Givat Shmuel (97.5%), all within the Gush Dan metropolitan area, as well as Lev Hasharon (96%), just north of Tel Aviv.

On the other end of the spectrum, localities with a significantly lower eligibility rate include Hatzor HaGlilit in the northern district (53%) and Ofakim in the south (43%), as well as Arab and Haredi towns including Shaqib al-Salam, Beit Shemesh, Elad, Bnei Brak, and Modi’in Ilit.