Slightly more than 60,000 students around the country left school in the 2014 school year due to various reasons such as diseases, financial difficulties and maladjustment, data showed Wednesday.

According to the tally compiled by the Ministry of Education, 60,568 students attending elementary, middle and high schools in the country dropped out as of April 1 this year. The figure was 11.2 percent lower than a year ago.

The ministry attributed the decrease to the government policy of bolstering career counseling programs at school and teachers' efforts to prevent students from leaving school.

In most cases, health problems, economic difficulties and failure to adjust to school life were cited as the main causes for leaving school, the data showed.

The statistics also included those who gave up school to study abroad and immigrate together with their parents.

High schools had the largest number of students who quit school for reasons other than overseas study, immigration and health problems with 25,016, but the figure was 15.1 percent less than a year ago.

The comparable figure for elementary and middle schools was 18,738 in total, the data showed. (Yonhap)