Secondary School Dropout Rate Falls To 7% From 8.2%; Pupil-Teacher Ratio Improved: UDISE+ Report | Education and Career News
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According to the UDISE+ report, the preparatory-level dropout rate declined from 2.3% in 2024–25 to 1.8% in 2025–26. At the secondary level, it dropped from 8.2% to 7%.
The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) at the Secondary level increased from 68.5% in 2024–25 to 71.7% in 2025–26, as per UDISE+ report. (File/Representative)
The Ministry of Education’s UDISE+ 2025–26 report on school education states that preparatory-level dropout rate declined from 2.3% in 2024–25 to 1.8% in 2025–26. At the secondary level, the dropout rate dropped from 8.2% to 7% during the same period. While the number of teachers has increased, resulting in improved pupil-teacher ratios.
The report also states that the total number of teachers increased from 1,01,22,420 in 2024–25 to 1,02,73,020 in 2025–26, leading to further improvements in pupil-teacher ratios (PTR). The PTR now stands at 10:1 at the Foundational level, 12:1 at the Preparatory level, 17:1 at the Middle level, and 21:1 at the Secondary level, all well below the National Education Policy’s (NEP 2020) recommended benchmark of 30:1.
Female Teachers Outnumber Male Teachers
As per the report by the Education Ministry, these improved ratios are expected to enable greater individual attention for students, stronger teacher-student interaction, and better learning outcomes. Female representation in the teaching workforce also remained strong, with women accounting for 54.9% of all teachers.
The report recorded gains in student retention at higher school levels. Retention at the Middle level rose from 82.8% in 2024–25 to 83.7% in 2025–26, while the Secondary level registered a more notable increase from 47.2% to 51.9%. However, the Foundational and Preparatory stages witnessed a slight decline in retention after three consecutive years of improvement between 2022–23 and 2024–25. The ministry attributed the stronger retention at the Secondary level in part to the growing number of schools offering secondary education.
“States such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Assam, J&K, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Meghalaya, where percentage of available school are more than percentage students enrolled implying underutilisation of available schools leading to suboptimal economy to scale. Where as in States viz., Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Telangana, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Kerala, percentage of available schools are significantly less as compared to enrolled students indicating more students per school,” the report added.
Rise In Student Enrolment
The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) at the Secondary level increased from 68.5% in 2024–25 to 71.7% in 2025–26, indicating that a larger proportion of eligible students are continuing their education at the secondary stage.
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