Over 10 schools closed every day in India during 2025-26: UDISE+ Report

India recorded the closure of 4,791 schools during the 2025-26 academic year, averaging around 13 closures every day, with Madhya Pradesh accounting for more than half of the total decline, according to the latest Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) report released by the Ministry of Education.

The report showed that the total number of schools in the country dropped from 1,471,473 in 2024-25 to 1,466,682 in 2025-26. Madhya Pradesh reported the highest number of closures at 2,426 schools, followed by Telangana with 1,392 closures.

West Bengal recorded 568 school closures, while Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Himachal Pradesh reported declines of 474, 369, 281, and 266 schools, respectively.

Despite the reduction in the number of schools, some states recorded growth in their school count. Bihar added 946 schools during the period, the highest increase among states, followed by Chhattisgarh with 234 and Delhi with 87 additional schools.

However, the rise in school numbers in these states did not translate into higher enrollment. Bihar witnessed the largest decline in student enrollment, with 437,037 fewer students compared with the previous year.

Chhattisgarh recorded a drop of 49,459 students, while Delhi saw enrollment decline by 45,250 students.

The UDISE+ report also highlighted a decline in schools with no enrolled students for the first time. The number of such schools fell from 7,993 in 2024-25 to 5,663 in 2025-26.

Despite having no students, these schools continue to have 20,667 teachers posted across the country.

West Bengal reported the largest increase in zero-enrollment schools, adding 321 such institutions during the year. The state now has 4,133 schools without any enrolled students, with 19,502 teachers continuing to serve in these schools.

Uttar Pradesh also recorded an increase in schools with zero enrollment. The number rose from 81 in 2024-25 to 313 in 2025-26, while the number of teachers posted in these schools increased from 56 to 177.

Chhattisgarh saw a significant change in its data. While the state had no zero-enrollment schools in 2024-25, it reported 149 such schools in 2025-26, employing 140 teachers.