Girls' Secondary School Dropout Rate Falls to 8%, Sees Consecutive Drops Since 2023-24

The secondary level dropout rate for female students fell to 8% in 2025-26, down from 9.6% the previous year and 12.6% in 2023-24. Yet, keeping adolescent girls in the classroom remains difficult as thousands still leave before finishing their secondary education.

Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary presented these figures in a written reply to the Lok Sabha, responding to a query raised by MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer.

The statistics are derived from the government's Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+).

Secondary Stage Dropout Peaks

The data reveals a stark divide across educational phases. Girls record a marginal 0.1% dropout rate at the primary level, which climbs to 3.4% in upper primary classes. The attrition peaks at 8% during the secondary stage, covering Classes 9 and 10.

Geographic disparities remain prominent across the country with Ladakh registering the highest secondary dropout rate for girls at 15.6%, followed by Assam and Karnataka at 13.9%.

Other states also reflect high attrition among adolescent girls. Gujarat logged a 13.3% dropout rate, while Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland each recorded 12.4%.

Socioeconomic Barriers and Sanitation

The Union government referred to findings from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2023-24 to explain the attrition. The survey identified household chores, the need to provide financial support, safety concerns, early marriage and restrictive social norms as primary drivers for girls leaving school.

Many parents dismiss higher studies for their daughters. Long commutes to distant classrooms and a lack of safe transport also force girls to drop out.

Though there has been some improvement, UDISE+ data indicates that 95.4% of government institutions—exceeding 9.5 lakh schools—now feature separate functional toilets for girls. Delhi, Goa and Chandigarh achieved 100% coverage. Conversely, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram reported the lowest coverage at 67.9% and 72.7% respectively.

Sanitation alone does not drive school dropouts. No national research links school toilet access to girls dropping out, the Ministry of Education informed. Instead, the ministry highlighted Samagra Shiksha initiatives that install sanitary pad dispensers and incinerators. Meanwhile, a health ministry scheme distributes sanitary napkins and spreads menstrual hygiene awareness to 53.9 lakh adolescent girls monthly.