Children left behind: Number of schools fall, 4 in 10 kids don't reach higher secondary
In 2014–15, government schools accounted for 55.3 per cent of total enrolment. By 2024–25, their share had declined to 49.3 per cent.
India’s school system is undergoing a quiet but significant transformation. In 2024–25, India had 14.71 lakh schools, according to the NITI Aayog. This was a fall from 15.58 lakh schools in 2017–18, a decline of nearly 87,000 schools in just seven years.
Much of this reduction has been caused by state governments merging schools with low enrolment, especially in rural areas. While the objective is to improve efficiency and pool resources, the closures often mean that children in remote villages must travel farther to attend school. For families without access to transport, that added distance can become a major barrier and, in many cases, a reason for children to drop out.
Govt schools enrol less than half of all students
In 2014–15, government schools accounted for 55.3 per cent of total enrolment. By 2024–25, their share had declined to 49.3 per cent. Private unaided schools, meanwhile, have expanded their reach significantly, with their enrolment share rising from 31.7 per cent to 38.83 per cent over the same period. That’s more than one crore additional students entering the private school system in just ten years.
Government-aided schools and other institutions, including madrasas and unrecognised schools, have seen smaller declines and together now account for only around 12 per cent of total enrolment.
Nearly four in ten children don’t reach higher secondary
The Gross Enrolment Ratio, or GER, at the primary level stood at 90.9 per cent in 2024–25. The upper primary GER was nearly identical at 90.3 per cent. However, the picture changes sharply after this stage. At the secondary level, GER dropped to 78.7 per cent, and by higher secondary, it fell to just 58.4 per cent. In effect, nearly four out of every ten children of class-11-12-age were no longer in school.
Transition rates show that more students drop out at every stage of schooling. While 88.8 per cent moved from primary to upper primary in 2024–25, only 83.3 per cent reached secondary, and just 71.5 per cent made it to higher secondary. Meaning, nearly three in ten students did not reach Class 11.
Higher secondary enrolment, however, has improved over the decade. The GER rose from 46.37 per cent in 2014–15 to 58.4 per cent in 2024–25.