UDISE+ 2025-26: Mixed Progress in India's Schools
The Ministry of Education released the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) report for 2025-26 on July 7, 2026, covering nearly 14.67 lakh schools across India. The report highlights persistent enrolment challenges, improvements in some infrastructure, and stagnation in others. Several states show age-specific enrolment ratios well below the national average.
Net Enrolment Ratio Declines
Net Enrolment Ratio (NER) at the secondary level (Classes 9-10) stands at 50.8%, but drops sharply to 39% at the higher secondary level (Classes 11-12). This gap has remained unchanged since 2022-23. NER at the elementary (Classes 1-8) and primary (Classes 1-5) levels has been declining since 2022-23.
Dropout Rates Fall, Repetition Rises
The report shows that about half of the children aged 14-15 not enrolled in secondary school have either dropped out or repeated a grade. The dropout rate has decreased across all levels, with the sharpest drop at the primary level—from 7.8% in 2022-23 to 0.3% in 2025-26. However, the repetition rate has increased, from 1.3% to 2.2% over the same period. In 2025-26, 2.5% of students aged 6-10 were either repeating or had dropped out, with 2.2% being repeaters.
Infrastructure: Basic Facilities Improve, Advanced Lag
Basic amenities like drinking water, electricity, and toilets are now nearly universal in schools. However, facilities such as solar panels, rainwater harvesting, and toilets for children with special needs (CWSN) remain inadequate.
State-Level Variations
Age-specific enrolment ratios vary widely by state. Bihar, for example, recorded one of the lowest enrolment ratios across all age groups.
