Archive · 6 Aug 2026
Only 5.67% of Indian Schools Offer Class 1-12 Education
Imagine a school where you start in Class 1 and finish in Class 12 without ever changing schools.
In India, very few schools can do that.
The government counted all the schools in the country and found more than 14 lakh of them.
Out of all those schools, only about 83,000 offer every class from 1 to 12.
That means only about 5 out of every 100 schools give students their whole school journey in one place.
The government shared these numbers in Parliament.
They also shared some good news: more students are moving from one level of school to the next than before.
The number of students who stay in school until the end is going up, and the number who leave early is going down.
The government is also helping about 1,617 schools add higher classes so students have more options nearby.
Only 5.67% of schools in India — 83,185 of 14,66,682 listed under UDISE+ 2025-26 — offer education from Class 1 to Class 12 in one institution.
Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary shared the data in the Rajya Sabha in response to a question on school continuity and its impact on student movement, retention and dropout rates.
The transition rate from the preparatory stage to middle school rose from 92.2% in 2024-25 to 93.8% in 2025-26, and middle-to-secondary transition improved from 86.6% to 88.3%.
Retention at the secondary level increased from 47.2% to 51.9%, while the secondary dropout rate declined from 8.2% to 7.0%.
Between 2018-19 and 2026-27, the government approved 1,617 schools for upgrade to senior secondary level, led by Rajasthan (606), Odisha (331) and Punjab (241).
- Who
- The Ministry of Education and Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary, responding to a Rajya Sabha question.
- What
- Data showing that only 5.67% of India's schools offer complete education from Class 1 to Class 12 in the same institution, alongside improving transition, retention and dropout figures.
- When
- Announced on August 06, 2026; the school census covers UDISE+ 2025-26 and upgrade approvals span 2018-19 to 2026-27.
- Where
- India, with notable upgrade activity in Rajasthan, Odisha, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Karnataka.
- Why
- The government shared the figures in Parliament to address questions about the availability of schools offering continuous education and its effect on student movement, retention and dropout rates.
- Schools offering Class 1-12
- 83,185 (5.67% of total)
- Total schools under UDISE+ 2025-26
- 14,66,682
- Preparatory-to-middle transition rate
- 92.2% (2024-25) to 93.8% (2025-26)
- Middle-to-secondary transition rate
- 86.6% (2024-25) to 88.3% (2025-26)
- Secondary retention rate
- 47.2% (2024-25) to 51.9% (2025-26)
- Secondary dropout rate
- 8.2% (2024-25) to 7.0% (2025-26)
- Schools approved for upgrade (2018-19 to 2026-27)
- 1,617
- Top state for school upgrades
- Rajasthan (606 schools)