India's school education in Data UDISE+ 2024-25 Arun C Mehta March 2026

India’s school education in Data UDISE+ 2024-25 Arun C Mehta March 2026.

e-Book on India’s School Education in Data: An Analysis of UDISE+ 2024–25​


About this volume

This page presents e-Book on India’s School Education in Data – An Analysis of UDISE+ 2024–25, authored by Prof. Arun C. Mehta and published on Education for All in India in 2026. The volume synthesises a series of analytical articles written between August 2025 and March 2026 following the release of the UDISE+ 2024–25 dataset by the Ministry of Education.​

Drawing on data for 14.71 lakh schools, 24.69 crore students, and 1.01 crore teachers, the book provides a comprehensive, all-India picture of school education, with a focus on trends since 2017–18 and progress towards the NEP 2020 goals. All indicators are taken from official UDISE+ 2024–25 reports, with learning outcomes cross‑checked against ASER 2024 where relevant.​

Download the full PDF

You can download the complete 35‑page PDF using the link below:

Key questions addressed

The volume is designed for policymakers, researchers, administrators, and practitioners who need a data‑driven view of India’s school education system. Among others, it addresses questions such as:​

Key Questions Addressed

  • How has total school enrolment changed since 2017–18, and why did it fall to 23.29 crore in 2024–25, the lowest in seven years?​
  • What do Gross and Net Enrolment Ratios reveal about the distance to universal elementary and secondary education under NEP 2020?​
  • How serious is the dropout and retention problem, particularly at the secondary stage and at key transition points?​
  • What does crossing one crore teachers mean for Pupil‑Teacher Ratios, and how are teachers distributed across levels and states?​
  • To what extent has India achieved gender and social equity (SC, ST, minorities, CWSN) in participation?​
  • How far have schools progressed in infrastructure and digital access, including electricity, internet, computers, and CWSN-friendly facilities?​
  • How do UDISE+ participation indicators compare with ASER 2024 learning outcomes, and what does this reveal about the learning crisis?​
  • Under different policy scenarios, is universal secondary education by 2030 achievable?​

Highlights from UDISE+ 2024–25

Some of the central findings discussed in the book include:​

  • Enrolment and Participation

    • Total enrolment in Classes 1–12 declined to 23.29 crore in 2024–25, continuing a seven‑year contraction driven by demographic transition, post‑COVID shifts back to private schools, and improved data quality.​
    • Primary GER stands at 90.9%, upper primary at 90.3%, secondary at 78.7%, and higher secondary at 58.4%, with large GER–NER gaps at secondary, indicating widespread overage and underage enrolment.​

  • Dropout, Transition and Retention

    • Primary dropout has fallen to below 1%, but secondary dropout remains high; only about 47.2% of students who enter Class 9 complete Class 12.​
    • The transition from middle to secondary school is a major bottleneck, with roughly one in seven elementary graduates not progressing to Class 9.​

  • Teachers and PTR

    • India’s teachers have crossed the one-crore mark (1,01,22,420), with female teachers accounting for 54.2% of the workforce.​
    • The national PTR is 24:1, but an inverted deployment pyramid means primary schools account for nearly 45% of enrolment but only about 23% of teachers, yielding an effective PTR of about 44:1 at this stage.​

  • Equity and Inclusion

    • Gender parity in GER (GPI ≈ 1.0) has been sustained at all levels, with girls’ higher secondary GER now exceeding that of boys.​
    • SC and ST enrolment shares are broadly in line with population shares at the aggregate level, but ST higher secondary GER (about 51.9%) remains well below the national average.​
    • Children with special needs (CWSN) account for around 0.86% of total enrolment, with girls under‑represented within this group.​

  • Infrastructure and the Digital Divide

    • Around 93.6% of schools have electricity, but internet (63.5%) and computers (64.7%) remain unevenly available.​
    • CWSN‑friendly toilets are present in only about a third of schools, underscoring persistent barriers to full inclusion.​

  • 2030 Outlook under NEP 2020

    • Under a business‑as‑usual scenario, secondary GER would reach only about 82–85% by 2030, with universality postponed beyond 2042.​
    • Moderate and transformational reform scenarios, involving higher public spending, better teacher deployment and targeted equity measures, offer more optimistic trajectories towards near‑universal secondary education by 2030.​

Structure of the Book

The volume is organised into ten substantive chapters, plus front and back matter:​

  • About the Author; Preface; Executive Summary: Key Findings.​
  • Chapter 1:UDISE+ – Data Architecture, Evolution and the 2024–25 Release.​
  • Chapter 2:Enrolment Trends – A Seven‑Year Decline.​
  • Chapter 3:Gross Enrolment Ratios and the Distance to Universality.​
  • Chapter 4:Dropout, Transition, and Retention – The Efficiency Indicators.​
  • Chapter 5:Teachers – Strength, Deployment, and Quality.​
  • Chapter 6:Equity – Gender, Social Categories, and Inclusion.​
  • Chapter 7:School Infrastructure and the Digital Divide.​
  • Chapter 8:State‑Level Disparities – The Kerala–Bihar Divide and Beyond.​
  • Chapter 9:Comparing UDISE+ 2024–25 with ASER 2024.​
  • Chapter 10:Universalisation by 2030 – Prospects and Projections.​
  • Conclusion: Where India Stands, and the Road Ahead; References and Sources.​

Citation and Usage Note

All statistics and figures in this volume are drawn from official UDISE+ 2024–25 publications of the Ministry of Education, Government of India, and from ASER 2024 reports where specified. The document is generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence; readers are advised to verify specific numbers and tables from the original UDISE+ and ASER sources before citing.​