<![CDATA[In the last ten years, Indonesia has shifted the development of secondary schools from general secondary education to vocational secondary education. The presidential decree of 2022 strengthened the government's commitment to developing vocational high schools. The number of vocational schools and student participation has increased significantly. However, despite the increased student participation in vocational high schools and the government policy toward empowering vocational education, the graduates of vocational high schools are less employed than graduates of public secondary schools in the country. This study examines how school and district characteristics affect the national exam scores of vocational high school students. Applying a cross-sectional regression of around 12,000 public and private vocational high schools in Indonesia, the study shows that the national exam scores, both general and specific competency scores, of the students in vocational high schools are positively affected by the share of vocational teachers in the school and accreditation status of the schools. Moreover, students in public vocational schools in information and communication technology and engineering, located in urban areas and the western part of Indonesia, have relatively higher average national exam scores. Several issues that hindered the enhancement of vocational high schools in Indonesia, among others, are insufficient number and competency of vocational teachers, inadequate facilities to support practical teaching, and mismatch between students' competency and demand in the labor market.]]>
