At present there is an increasing emphasis on both data mining and educational systems, making educational data mining a novel emerging field of research. Educational data mining (EDM) is an attractive interdisciplinary research domain that deals with the development of methods to utilise data originating in an educational context. EDM uses computational methodologies to evaluate educational data in order to study educational questions. The first part of this paper introduces EDM, describes the different types of educational data environments, diverse phases of EDM, the applications and goals of EDM, and some of the most promising future lines of research. Using EDM, the second part of this paper tracks students in Australia from primary school Year 1 through to successful completion of high school, and, thereafter, enrolment in university. The paper makes an assessment of the role of student gender on successive rates of educational completion in Australia. Implications for future lines of enquiry are discussed.