Karnataka Sees 5 Lakh Drop in State Board School Enrollments

Quick summary

• Enrolment in Karnataka’s state Board schools (goverment,aided,and private unaided) has declined by 5.22 lakh students in 2025-26 compared to the previous year.
• Breakdown of decline: government schools (-2.54 lakh), aided schools (-77,000), and private unaided schools (-1.7 lakh).
• Total enrolment figures for 2025-26 stand at 99,47,261 students compared to 1.04 crore students in the previous year (2024-25).
• Decline over three academic years (2023-24 to 2025-26): Government schools saw a drop of approximately 7.26 lakh students; private unaided school enrolment decreased only marginally by around 31,000 over this period.
• Key reasons cited: falling birth rates and a shift of students from State Board to Central Board schools like CBSE/ICSE.
• KAMS, representing private school managements, attributed part of the decline to “technical errors” in the Student Achievement Tracking System (SATS), where data updates were blocked by authorities.
• The government acknowledged declining numbers but highlighted measures like upgrading infrastructure and increasing Karnataka Public Schools (KPS) as steps toward improving enrolment.

Indian Opinion Analysis
The significant dip in student enrolments across Karnataka’s State Board-affiliated institutions points toward both demographic changes-such as declining birth rates-and systemic issues within the education ecosystem. While migration from State Boards to Central Boards suggests parents value nationally standardized curricula or perceive superior opportunities there, technical inefficiencies like SATS data mismanagement could severely distort actual trends if unaddressed.

For government-run educational institutions witnessing sharper declines than private counterparts, emphasis on teacher recruitment and improved facilities could foster trust among communities seeking quality education for their children-a fact repeatedly underscored by educationists involved in these discussions.

This situation serves as an indicator that tailored interventions are required not merely to reverse declining numbers but also ensure that public education competes effectively alongside option schooling systems without compromising affordability or inclusivity.

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