Govt School Enrollment Drops; Private Schools Gain 8.8M Students

Enrollment in government schools has dropped by approximately 8.6 million students. Conversely, private unaided schools have seen an increase of over 8.8 million students between the 2023-2024 and 2025-2026 academic years. Data from the Unified District Information System For Education Plus (UDISE+) NEP reports indicates this trend.

The analysis, covering 2023-2024, 2024-2025, and 2025-2026, also reveals a reduction in the number of government schools nationwide. A total of 12,415 government schools have closed during this period.

Student Enrollment Shifts

Across all levels, from foundation to secondary, government schools registered a total decrease of 8,586,614 students. In 2023-2024, government schools had 127,490,199 students. This number fell to 118,903,585 students in 2025-2026, a decline of 6.73 percent.

Government-aided schools also experienced a drop in student numbers. Enrollment decreased from 25,547,841 students in 2023-2024 to 24,619,692 students in 2025-2026. This represents a loss of 928,149 students, or a 3.63 percent decrease.

Private Schools See Growth

Private unaided schools have gained a significant number of students. Enrollment rose from 90,036,939 students in 2023-2024 to 98,863,908 students in 2025-2026. This marks an increase of 8,826,969 students, a growth of 9.80 percent.

Enrollment Data Breakdown

Infrastructure Improvements

The UDISE+ NEP data also shows improvements in school infrastructure. Electricity access increased from 91 percent of schools in 2023-2024 to 95 percent in 2025-2026. Drinking water facilities are now available in nearly all schools, reaching 99.5 percent coverage in 2025-2026.

Schools with computer and internet facilities have also grown. Computer access rose from 57.2 percent to 69.9 percent. Internet access increased from 53.9 percent to 67.4 percent. Toilet facilities are present in 99.1 percent of schools, a slight increase from 98.6 percent.