Nearly 8,000 Schools Across India Had Zero Enrolments in 2024–25

According to the Ministry of Education (MoE) data, around 7,993 schools across India had zero student enrolments in the 2024–25 academic year.

West Bengal recorded the highest number of such schools at 3,812, employing 17,965 teachers, followed by Telangana with 2,245 schools and 1,016 teachers.

Madhya Pradesh reported 463 schools with zero enrolments, while Uttar Pradesh had 81, with the UP-Board planning to revoke recognition of schools that record no student enrolment for three consecutive years.

Nine states — Haryana, Maharashtra, Goa, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura — reported no zero-enrolment schools.

Among Union Territories, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Daman and Diu, and Chandigarh had no schools with zero enrolments, and Delhi also reported none.

Over 33 lakh students’ study in more than 1 lakh single-teacher schools, with Andhra Pradesh having the highest number, followed by Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Lakshadweep.

The Ministry of Education has advised states to address the issue and noted that some have merged schools to optimise staff and infrastructure use.