Over 65,000 government schools have fewer than 10 students across India

More than 65,000 government schools across India are operating with fewer than 10 students, including 5,149 schools that recorded zero enrolment in 2024–25, exposing a deepening crisis in the public education system, official data from the Ministry of Education show.

The most acute pressure is concentrated in two states. Over 70 per cent of schools with no students are located in Telangana and West Bengal, highlighting stark regional imbalances in attendance within the government school network.

The figures were shared last week in a written response in the Lok Sabha to questions raised by MPs Karti P. Chidambaram and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. The data were compiled through the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+), the government’s primary database for tracking school-level information.

Beyond campuses with no students at all, the data point to a rapid expansion of schools with critically low enrolment. The number of government schools with fewer than 10 or zero students rose by 24 per cent over the past two academic years, increasing from 52,309 in 2022–23 to 65,054 in 2024–25. Such schools now make up 6.42 per cent of all government schools nationwide, signalling a growing mismatch between infrastructure planning and actual student attendance.

Staffing patterns add to the concern. More than 1.44 lakh teachers were posted during the same period in schools with fewer than 10 or no students, raising questions about teacher deployment, efficiency, and the use of public resources at the state level.

The Ministry of Education said education falls under the Concurrent List of the Constitution, placing responsibility for school administration, teacher recruitment and deployment with state governments and Union Territory administrations. The Centre said it supports states and UTs through the Samagra Shiksha scheme to maintain prescribed pupil–teacher ratios and strengthen school infrastructure.