High-Tech Matriculation 2024 Index and Conference

A national program to promote high-tech matriculation in schools is in advanced stages of approval. Following extensive cross-sector consultations, the Ministry of Education’s task force has prepared a plan in anticipation of government confirmation and implementation as of the upcoming school year. The program is grounded in school- and municipality-level datasets, drawing on the research by the Aaron Institute for Economic Policy and analyses by the Cities of Excellence Network.

Over the past two years, the Cities of Excellence Network – established by the foundation at Tel Aviv University – has been publishing the “High-Tech Matriculation Index.” The index offers a national, regional, and municipal perspective, analyzed over time and segmented by sector and gender. It presents data and trends in a user-friendly, accessible format via an online interactive map as well as an annual report, and is shared at a dedicated conference.

The index has garnered significant public and media attention and is increasingly being used by municipalities and districts to identify potential, set goals and develop work plans to improve their rates of high-tech matriculation. Over the past year, the Ministry of Education has begun including raw high-tech matriculation data in its public open-data repositories, though without accompanying analysis and comparisons.

We recognize that the High-Tech Matriculation Index is a complex metric that remains challenging to interpret in the educational field. Government policy has yet to gain broad awareness, and it has not yet permeated the educational and organizational practices of schools. Therefore, we believe it is necessary to continue working on making the data more accessible and understandable in partnership with local authorities.

In light of this, we have once again approached the Cities of Excellence Network and requested that they update the High-Tech Matriculation Index with data from the 2024 school year, once it is released by the Ministry of Education in the second half of 2025. In addition, the network has proposed convening a conference to present and discuss the updated index, with the participation of approximately 250 municipal leaders, heads of education departments, and educators.

* The text above shows the grant as approved by the Foundation’s Board of Directors / Grant 630