Tasmania has embarked on an effort to extend its high schools to Year 12.

Currently, Tasmania has 57 public high schools running only to Year 10 – anyone wishing to continue their studies must attend one of the eight colleges offering senior years.

Forty-three per cent of students drop out at Year 10.

Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff says $45.5 million will be sent over four years to get more schools to hold senior classes.

He says at least four will be ready to extend their grades by first term next year.

For this round, $6 million has been set aside for upgrades and to employ new teachers for each of the first four schools.

The recently-elected Tasmanian Liberal government says it expects dozens of schools will want to offer extended services.

“We know that to get the best chance for our students...our young people, the best chance of a job is to invest in education but of course extend their school years to grade 12,” Mr Rockliff has told the ABC.

“It has been expressed to us that a number of high schools, a number of regional and rural areas around Tasmania are excited about this prospect.”

A specialist group of educators, parents, community authorities and teachers’ union representatives has been put together to help select which schools will receive the funding enhancement.

“We're going to do this very sensibly, methodically and get it right,” Mr Rockliff said.

“Two thousand more students will be in the system by the end of the four years.”

The state opposition spokesperson for education, Michelle O'Byrne, said it may not be as good a scheme as it seems.

“If they're looking at extending VET [Vocation Education Training] opportunities in rural schools - that's already happening,” she said.

Greens education spokesperson and former education minister Nick McKim accused the Education Minister of storming ahead with no idea if retention will improve.

“Evidence shows that the early years are where the biggest gains can be made, and the Liberals would be much better off extending our nation leading Launching into Learning program to grade 2 rather than experiment in the later years with no any evidence to back them up,” Mr McKim told local newspaper The Examiner.

“Of course more needs to be done to offer Year 11 and 12 in regional high schools, which was already occurring with many of the schools that the Liberals have invited to apply for funding.

He says many schools are “already offering VET and/or pre-tertiary subjects to Year 11 and 12 students”.