India’s School Enrolment: Numbers, Trends, and What Lies Ahead
The latest UDISE+ data for 2024-25 paints a fascinating picture of India’s school enrolment landscape. Total enrolment has dipped slightly—by 0.45%—from 248 million in 2023-24 to 246.9 million. While a 1.1 million loss in the foundational stage (pre-primary to Class 2) and nearly 1.4 million fewer students in the preparatory stage (Classes 3-5) drove the decline, higher grades are proving resilient. Middle school enrolment (Classes 6-8) rose by 570,000, and secondary stage (Classes 9-12) grew by 810,000 students. So, what’s behind these shifts? Demographics play a major role. India’s total fertility rate (TFR) has fallen from 2.8 in 2006 to 2.0 in 2022, and UN projections show a decline in the 5–14 age group, particularly among 5–9-year-olds. Simply put, there are fewer children entering school today than a decade ago. But numbers alone don’t tell the whole story. Some children are now attending re-primary standalone private institutions, and improved data accuracy throug...