New Delhi, Aug. 29 -- School enrolment across India fell by 1.11 million students in 2024-25, with the steepest decline concentrated in the early years of education, according to the latest government data.

Total enrolment slipped 0.45% from 248 million in 2023-24 to 246.9 million in 2024-25, the education ministry's UDISE+ data showed. The foundational stage-covering pre-primary to Class 2-lost 1.1 million students, while the preparatory stage spanning Classes 3-5 shed nearly 1.4 million, together accounting for 2.5 million of the total decline.

Higher classes bucked the trend, with middle stage enrolment (Classes 6-8) rising by 570,000 and secondary stage (Classes 9-12) growing by 810,000 students.

Demographic shift behind decline

T...