New Delhi: The UDISE+ 2025–26 report presents a mixed picture of India’s school education system. While the country has made progress in enrolment, teacher availability and basic infrastructure, the latest data also point to several persistent challenges, particularly school dropouts, single-teacher schools, unequal digital access and gaps in secondary-level participation.
The report covers nearly 14.67 lakh schools, 1.03 crore teachers and 24.72 crore students, offering one of the most comprehensive assessments of school education in the country.
Secondary education remains a major concern
One of the key concerns is the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of 71.7% at the Secondary stage. Despite improvement, the figure means that a significant proportion of children in the relevant age group are still not enrolled at the secondary level.
The challenge becomes more serious when viewed alongside the secondary-stage dropout rate of 7%. The relatively high dropout rate indicates that retaining students after the middle-school stage continues to be a major challenge for the education system.
The report also records a secondary-stage retention rate of only 51.9%, highlighting the difficulty of ensuring that students remain in school through the later years of education.
Thousands of schools still have serious staffing problems
Although the overall pupil–teacher ratio remains favourable at 24:1, national averages can conceal significant disparities between schools and regions.
The number of single-teacher schools stood at 1,00,843 in 2025–26. While this represents an improvement over the previous year, the presence of more than one lakh single-teacher schools remains a serious concern.
In such schools, teachers may have to handle multiple grades and subjects, potentially limiting individual attention, classroom interaction and the implementation of a diverse curriculum.
Zero-enrolment schools raise questions over resource utilisation
The number of zero-enrolment schools declined by 29% to 5,663 during 2025–26. While the reduction is positive, the continued existence of thousands of schools without students raises questions about infrastructure utilisation, school rationalisation and the efficient deployment of teachers and other educational resources.
The issue is particularly important in an education system where some schools continue to face staffing shortages while others have no enrolled students.
Digital divide remains significant
The report's infrastructure figures also reveal a substantial digital gap. Only 69.9% of schools had computers and 67.4% had internet connectivity.
This means that roughly three out of every ten schools still did not have computers, while about one-third lacked internet connectivity. At a time when digital learning, online educational resources and technology-enabled teaching are becoming increasingly important, the gap could affect students' access to modern learning opportunities.
The disparity is particularly significant for students in schools and regions where digital resources are already limited.
Dropout reduction is encouraging, but the problem is far from over
The preparatory-stage dropout rate stood at 1.8%, while the middle-stage rate was 3.6% and the secondary-stage rate 7%.
The figures show that students are considerably more vulnerable to leaving the education system as they progress towards secondary education. This makes the transition from middle to secondary schooling a critical intervention point for policymakers.
The challenge is not simply getting children into school but ensuring that they remain enrolled, complete their education and successfully transition to higher stages.
The challenge of unequal access continues
Girls account for 48.4% of total enrolment, while women constitute 54.9% of teachers, indicating substantial participation of women in school education.
However, the continued dropout at the secondary stage and gaps in infrastructure suggest that gender equity cannot be measured only through enrolment numbers. Retention, completion, digital access and quality learning opportunities must also be addressed.
What the data means for NEP 2020
The UDISE+ 2025–26 findings provide evidence of progress towards the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, but they also highlight areas requiring urgent attention.
The biggest challenges remain keeping adolescents in school, eliminating single-teacher schools, closing the digital divide and ensuring that improvements in national averages reach every school and student.
The latest data therefore suggest that India's education challenge is shifting from simply expanding access to ensuring continuity, quality, equity and meaningful learning opportunities. The next phase of education reforms will need to focus more strongly on students at risk of dropping out and schools that continue to operate with inadequate human and digital resources.
Source: Ministry of Education, Government of India, UDISE+ 2025–26.
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