Compared to 2019-20, there were 10,184 fewer government schools in the country in 2021-22. This decline followed the implementation of the school rationalisation policy introduced in 2021-22.
In 2019-20, the country had 10,32,570 government schools, which decreased to 10,22,386 in 2021-22. The Union government provided this data in response to a question raised by Congress MP Hibi Eden in Parliament regarding the schools that have been closed or merged under the school rationalisation policy since 2020-21.
The same period also saw a reduction in government-aided and private unaided schools. The number of government-aided schools dropped from 84,362 in 2019-20 to 82,480 in 2021-22, while private unaided schools decreased from 3,37,499 in 2019-20 to 3,35,844 in 2021-22.
When asked whether the government has undertaken or plans to undertake an evaluation of the impact of school closures or mergers, the Union ministry of education stated that education falls under the Concurrent List of the Constitution. Consequently, the opening and rationalisation of schools are within the jurisdiction of the respective state governments and UT administrations.
Among the states, Madhya Pradesh saw the largest reduction in government schools in 2021-22 compared to 2020-21, with 6,457 fewer schools. Notably, in 2024-25, more than 5,500 schools in Madhya Pradesh reported zero enrolment in Class 1. Assam and Odisha also saw significant reductions, with each state closing more than 1,000 schools after adopting the school rationalisation policy.