Academic grading in Croatia is regulated by the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports.
In Croatia the following official grade scale applies to elementary school, high school and university students:
| 1 (0–49%) | Insufficient (Croatian: nedovoljan) | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 (50–59%) | Sufficient (Croatian: dovoljan) | |
| 3 (60–74%) | Good (Croatian: dobar) | |
| 4 (75–89%) | Very good (Croatian: vrlo dobar) | |
| 5 (90–100%) | Excellent (Croatian: odličan in schools, Croatian: izvrstan at universities) |
The grade 1 (Croatian: nedovoljan) is a failing grade, while grades 2 through 5 are passing grades.
Many teachers use minus and plus symbols as grade modifiers. For example, "−5" denotes a grade slightly lower than "excellent", while "+4" denotes a grade slightly higher than "very good". Half-grades such as "4/5" are also used. These modifiers are unofficial and do not appear in final grade reports.
Conduct (Croatian: vladanje) is graded on a 3-point descriptive scale:
In practice, most students receive "exemplary" conduct grades. Conduct grade does not count towards the grade point average.
Grade point average (GPA) is calculated as the arithmetic mean of all numerical grades:
A significant grade inflation has been observed in primary education and, to a lesser degree, in secondary education. In the 2008/09 school year, almost 168,000 out of 365,000 elementary school students were graded "excellent" by their grade point average. Parent pressure on teachers has been identified as a major cause.[1] In the school year 2023/2024, 46% of elementary school students passed with a GPA in the range of "excellent". Although the country has seen a drop in students passing with a GPA of 5.0, the steady increase of high-grade students has put pressure on more prestigious highschools (especially in the capital of Zagreb) to further restrict enrollment by introducing preliminary exams.[2]
A national exam was introduced in 2022 for all students to take in year 8, throughout March. These exams were then expanded to include year 4 students in 2024. Although national exams have been viewed as a solution to grade inflation, the exams do not impact grade averages or highschool enrollment as of 2024, which they have been criticised for by teachers.[3]