Chandigarh, Feb. 23 -- Nearly 72% of school dropouts in Chandigarh fall in the 14-18 age group, with senior secondary students continuing to account for the majority of those leaving school, according to the UT education department's Child Mapping Survey 2026.

Of the 2,441 students identified as dropouts in the 6-18 age bracket this year, about 1,748 were aged between 14 and 18. The pattern has remained largely unchanged over the past three years. In 2025, 1,797 of 2,576 dropouts (around 69%) were in the same age group, while in 2024, 1,629 of 2,394 (about 68%) were senior secondary students.

The annual exercise involves door-to-door Child Mapping Survey of all children from birth to 18 years, conducted in December. Besides tracking enr...