Girls have out-performed boys in every school subject and low male achievement is spurring concern.

Secondary school NCEA results were released yesterday by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.

The profiles show a growing gap between girls’ and boys’ achievement, and suggest children might be better off in single-sex schools.

Girls-only schools dominate all NCEA levels. Their pass rates are far above the national average.

Wellington High School principal Prue Kelly was not surprised.

English was particularly geared toward girls and many of the topics did not interest boys, she said.

“Analysing characters and having to think about why an author wrote what is often of no interest to boys.”

Education Ministry learning policy manager Steve Benson said the gender gap was a big issue. A research project was under way to address boys’ under-achievement but there were no easy answers.

Others had suggested the problem lay behind typical Kiwi attitudes to masculinity, with boys more interested in rugby than study.