Parent version of a news story
51.9%
India enrols almost every child, then loses half of them.
Explainer
By Pawanchander Komuravelli Published 6 min read
This is the version written for parents. There is also a version written for students , covering the same policy.
The Education Ministry runs a giant annual census of every school in the country, called UDISE+, and it released the 2025-26 edition on 7 July 2026. It covers 14.67 lakh schools, 24.72 crore students and about 1.03 crore teachers UDISE+ 2025-26 .
For parents
What the data says
The government’s UDISE+ 2025-26 report shows near-universal enrolment in the early grades but retention of just 51.9% at the secondary stage, with dropout rising at each step up and secondary enrolment at 71.7% UDISE+ 2025-26 .
What it means for you
The risky years are Classes 9 to 12. That’s when money pressure, distance to the nearest senior school, and plain exam fear do their damage. If a child in your family or your street is wobbling in those years, that’s exactly the window where one adult paying attention changes how it ends.
What to watch
Schemes aimed squarely at this leak: second-chance board exams, Class 11 being added inside existing schools, transport and residential support. They aren’t scattershot. They’re all pointed at the same 51.9.
Sources
- UDISE+ portal The official Ministry of Education UDISE+ site. Home of the 2025-26 report.
- PIB release (PRID 2282141) Ministry of Education announcement of the UDISE+ 2025-26 report, 7 July 2026.
- The Tribune Reproduces the figures: 14.67 lakh schools, stage-wise dropout and retention, secondary GER 71.7%.
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