A growing number of students are dropping out school because they cannot adjust to campus life, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said Monday.

According to a report by the ministry and the Korean Educational Development Institute, 38,887 high school students, or 2 percent of all students, have quit or taken a break from school. The largest portion, or 45.1 percent, cited failure to adapt to campus life as their main reason why, followed by moves abroad, family issues, health problems and getting in trouble at school.

The researchers highlighted the growing portion of maladjusted students. In 2000, maladjustment outnumbered family reasons 43.6 percent to 39.9 percent, and has since remained the top reason. Researchers, however, failed to trace whether the students’ maladjustment stemmed from poor academic performance, catching up with the curriculum, or conflicts with teachers and peers.

Those who quit school due to family reasons are mostly from the low income bracket. They made up the highest percentage of dropouts before 2000.

The middle school dropout rate marked 1 percent in 2010, up from 0.7 percent in 2000. The specific reasons why were not verified.

“The most important thing is the shift in the reasons for dropping out. Students aren’t giving up their studies because of poverty, but because of delinquencies or maladjustment,” the institute said in a press release. “The government should come out with measures to ‘normalize’ public education,” it added.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)