Only 5.67% of Schools in India Offer Complete Class 1–12 Education, Ministry Tells Parliament

Only 5.67% of schools in India provide uninterrupted education from Class 1 to Class 12, according to the latest data presented by the Ministry of Education in the Rajya Sabha. The figures reveal that just 83,185 schools out of the country's 14,66,682 schools listed under UDISE+ 2025-26 offer students the opportunity to complete their entire schooling within the same institution.

Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary shared the data while responding to a question in Parliament regarding the availability of full-cycle schools and its impact on student transition, retention, and dropout rates.

Majority of Students Still Change Schools During Their Education

The data indicates that the overwhelming majority of Indian schools do not provide continuous education from the primary level to senior secondary level. As a result, most students are required to change schools at one or more stages of their academic journey.

Education experts have long argued that school transitions can affect academic continuity, student adjustment, and learning outcomes. However, the Ministry noted that key education indicators have shown steady improvement despite the limited number of full-cycle schools.

Student Transition and Retention Rates Improve

According to the Ministry of Education, student movement across school stages has become smoother over the past year.

The transition rate from the preparatory stage to middle school increased from 92.2% in 2024-25 to 93.8% in 2025-26.

Similarly, the transition rate from middle school to secondary education improved from 86.6% to 88.3% during the same period.

The secondary-level retention rate also recorded significant progress, rising from 47.2% in 2024-25 to 51.9% in 2025-26. Meanwhile, the secondary school dropout rate declined from 8.2% to 7.0%, indicating improved student participation and continuity.

Over 1,600 Schools Upgraded to Senior Secondary Level

To improve access to higher classes, the government approved the upgradation of 1,617 secondary schools into senior secondary schools between 2018-19 and 2026-27.

Among the states:

• Rajasthan received the highest number of approvals with 606 schools.
• Odisha followed with 331 schools.
• Punjab received approval for 241 schools.
• Uttar Pradesh accounted for 98 schools.
• Assam and Karnataka received approvals for 47 and 43 schools, respectively.

Several other states and Union Territories, including Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Jammu & Kashmir, Nagaland, Ladakh, and Arunachal Pradesh, also benefited from the school upgradation initiative.

Supporting NEP 2020 Through Samagra Shiksha

The Ministry stated that these upgrades are carried out under the Samagra Shiksha scheme, with annual proposals submitted by states and Union Territories based on local educational needs.

The initiative aligns with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which seeks to expand access to quality education, strengthen school infrastructure, reduce dropout rates, and create inclusive learning environments for students across the country.

The latest UDISE+ data suggests that while India continues to improve student retention and transition rates, expanding the number of schools offering uninterrupted education from Class 1 to Class 12 remains a key challenge for the country's school education system.