New Delhi: India witnessed the closure of an average of 13 schools every day during the 2025–26 academic year, with Madhya Pradesh emerging as the biggest contributor to this decline. According to the latest Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) report published by the Union Ministry of Education, a total of 4,791 schools across the country ceased operations during this period.

Madhya Pradesh alone accounted for more than half of the national total, shutting down 2,426 schools.

The nationwide count of educational institutions dropped from 14,71,473 in 2024–25 to 14,66,682 in 2025–26. Following Madhya Pradesh, Telangana recorded the second-highest number of shutdowns with 1,392 schools closing down. Other states tracking notable closures include West Bengal (568), Andhra Pradesh (474), Tamil Nadu (369), Karnataka (281) and Himachal Pradesh (266).

Paradoxical growth: More schools, fewer students

In contrast to the overall downward trend, a few regions expanded their institutional footprint despite experiencing a shrinking student base. Bihar led this counter-movement by establishing 946 new schools, while Chhattisgarh and Delhi added 234 and 87 schools, respectively.

However, student numbers in these areas dwindled sharply. Bihar registered the most severe drop, losing 4,37,037 students compared to the previous academic year. Similarly, student strength dropped by 49,459 in Chhattisgarh and by 45,250 in Delhi.

First drop in zero-enrolment schools amid rising outliers

On a positive note, the UDISE+ report highlighted the first-ever reduction in the number of schools functioning with zero student enrolment. The figure fell nationally from 7,993 in 2024–25 to 5,663 in 2025–26. Surprisingly, even with zero student attendance, these empty institutions still have 20,667 teachers actively deployed on their payrolls nationwide.

A few states defied this nationwide improvement.

West Bengal: The state added 321 more zero-enrolment schools over the year, bringing its total to a staggering 4,133 student-less schools. A massive cohort of 19,502 teachers remain posted in these institutions despite the absence of any students.

Uttar Pradesh: The tally of schools with zero students surged from 81 in 2024–25 to 313 in 2025–26, with the associated teaching staff increasing from 56 to 177.

Chhattisgarh: Moving from a clean slate of zero such schools in 2024–25, the state logged 149 zero-enrolment institutions in 2025–26, staffed by 140 teachers.