1,969 Schools Gone: The Big Shift Taking Place In Telangana

The number of government schools in Telangana fell by 1,969 in 2025-26 from the previous year, while private schools increased by 771 during the same period, according to data from the Department of School Education’s Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+), The Hindu reported.

The report shows that the shift has become more pronounced over the past decade. While government schools saw an increase in enrolment during the Covid-19 pandemic, enrolment has since declined sharply, as private schools have increasingly attracted parents and students.

Government Schools See Sharp Decline

Between 2016-17 and 2025-26, the total number of schools in Telangana fell by 3.2%, from 43,134 to 41,762. Overall student enrolment rose by 16.8% during the same period. While enrolment in government schools declined by 8.2%, private schools recorded a 41% increase.

While the private schools rose from 12,573 in 2016-17 to 13,245 in 2025-26, a rise of about 5.3%, government schools shrunk from 29,427 to 28,088, a decline of 4.6%. As per the data, such changes occurred in the final year of the given time. Government-aided schools’ numbers reduced by 48%, from 756 to 392.

The teachers in government-aided schools reduced by 25%, from 3,618 to 2,704. As per the report, these schools were once a significant chunk of all schools, and now they account for less than 1% in the state.

Private Schools Gain Ground In Telangana

Almost 76.8 lakh students enrolled in private schools in Telangana in 2025-26, an increase of nearly 17% from 65.7 lakh in 2016-17. Most of this growth is absorbed by private schools. The enrolment here rose by almost 41% from 35.1 lakh to 49.5 lakhs.

Enrolment in government schools dropped by more than 8%, from around 28.9 lakh students to 26.5 lakh. The decline was sharper among aided schools, where the student count fell by roughly 48%, from about 1.34 lakh to below 70,000.

Private schools accounted for roughly 64.5% of total student enrolment in 2025-26, up from about 53.4% in 2016-17. Government schools, by comparison, saw their share fall to 34.5 per cent from 43.9 per cent during the same period, while aided schools declined from around 2% to below 1%.

The student-teacher ratio also improved during the period, declining from around 27 students per teacher in 2016-17 to 21 in 2025-26. The change came as the number of teachers grew at a faster pace relative to student enrolment.