India Loses Nearly 94,000 Government Schools in a Decade: NITI Aayog Report

New Delhi, August 4, 2026: India had nearly 94,000 fewer government schools in 2024-25 than a decade earlier, even as the private sector expanded its presence in school education, according to a NITI Aayog report.

The report, School Education System in India: Temporal Analysis and Policy Roadmap for Quality Enhancement, based on UDISE+ data from 2014-15 to 2024-25, shows that the number of government schools fell from 11.07 lakh in 2014-15 to 10.13 lakh in 2024-25.

The decline came amid an overall contraction in the country's school infrastructure. The total number of schools rose from 15.16 lakh in 2014-15 to a peak of 15.58 lakh in 2017-18, before falling to 14.71 lakh in 2024-25.

NITI Aayog, however, cautions against interpreting the decline in school numbers as an automatic reduction in access to education. The report attributes the trend largely to the consolidation of school infrastructure, including rationalisation of schools, mergers involving under-enrolled institutions and efforts to optimise resources under programmes such as Samagra Shiksha.

The policy shift, according to the report, reflects a greater emphasis on quality, efficiency and long-term sustainability rather than simply increasing the number of schools.

Government schools still account for more than two-thirds of all schools in the country. However, their declining numbers coincide with a steady increase in private unaided recognised schools, which rose from 2.88 lakh in 2014-15 to 3.39 lakh in 2024-25.

Government-aided schools continue to represent a relatively small share of the country's school network. Institutions classified under the "Others" category, which includes madrasas and schools managed by religious and charitable organisations, remain marginal in overall numbers.

The report, published in May 2026, examines a decade of changes in India's school education system, focusing on access, equity and quality. Its findings highlight the changing composition of the country's school network and the growing role of private institutions alongside efforts to consolidate government-run schools.

By Catholic Connect Reporter