100,000 Fewer Students Nationwide in Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle, and High Schools... Continuing Decline in School-Age Population

20,000 Kindergarten Students, Over 100,000 Elementary Students ↓
Total Number of Schools 125 ↓
35,000 Students in Universities and Higher Education Institutions ↓

Amid a sharp decline in the school-age population, the number of students in kindergartens, elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide decreased by nearly 100,000 compared to the previous year. The number of students in higher education institutions, including universities and graduate schools, also dropped by about 35,000 from the previous year.

According to the "2024 Basic Education Statistics Survey Results" announced by the Ministry of Education on the 29th, the total number of students in kindergartens, elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide this year was 5,684,745, a 1.7% (98,867 students) decrease compared to the previous year.

The Ministry of Education conducts this survey every year on April 1, targeting educational administrative institutions such as kindergartens, elementary, middle, and high schools, higher education institutions, and education offices nationwide, and announces the results in August.

Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

The number of kindergarten students was 498,604, down by 23,190; elementary school students were 2,495,005, down by 108,924. On the other hand, middle school students increased by 6,019 to 1,332,850, and high school students rose by 26,056 to 1,304,325. Other schools (special schools, technical high schools, etc.) also increased by 1,172 to 53,961 students.

The total number of schools was 20,480 for kindergartens, elementary, and middle schools, a decrease of 125 schools compared to the previous year. Kindergartens numbered 8,294, down by 147; elementary schools increased by 8 to 6,183; middle schools rose by 7 to 3,272; high schools increased by 1 to 2,380; and other schools increased by 6 to 351.

By region, the number of kindergarten and elementary students decreased the most in Jeonbuk, with a 7.8% and 5.8% decline respectively compared to the previous year. Middle school students in Seoul decreased by 1.5%, and high school students in Gangwon dropped by 0.4% compared to the previous year.

[Source: Ministry of Education]

The average number of students per class was 15.7 in kindergartens, down by 0.4 students. Elementary schools had 20.0 students per class, a decrease of 0.7. Middle schools had 24.5 students per class, down by 0.1, while high schools saw an increase of 0.5 to 23.4 students per class.

The student-to-teacher ratio decreased by 0.4 in kindergartens and 0.6 in elementary schools compared to the previous year. It remained the same in middle schools and increased by 0.3 in high schools.

The number of multicultural students in elementary and middle schools was 193,814, an increase of 12,636 (7%) from the previous year. The proportion of multicultural students among the total student population rose by 0.3 percentage points to 3.8% compared to the previous year.

The total number of teachers in kindergartens, elementary, and secondary schools was 509,242, an increase of 392 from the previous year. The number of elementary school teachers increased by 1,511 to 196,598, while kindergarten teachers decreased by 233 to 55,404. Middle school teachers decreased by 20 to 114,780, and high school teachers dropped by 1,174 to 129,436.

[Source: Ministry of Education]

The number of enrolled students in higher education institutions, including universities and graduate schools, also declined compared to the previous year. This year, the total number of students enrolled in higher education institutions was 3,007,242, a 1.2% (35,606 students) decrease from the previous year. The number of students in general universities decreased by 18,749, and in junior colleges by 17,127. Graduate schools saw an increase of 5,729 students compared to the previous year.

The total number of higher education institutions decreased by two compared to the previous year. Taejae University was newly established, while Korea International University (general university), Gangwon Tourism University, and Seorabeol University (junior colleges) were closed.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.