The report also shows that Tamil Nadu has maintained a zero-dropout rate at the primary and upper primary level, but sees a 6.2% dropout at the secondary level. (File photo)
| Photo Credit: RAGU R
Tamil Nadu continues to record a high gross enrollment ratio (GER) at the primary level with 92%, according to the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) 2025-2026 which was released by the Ministry of Education recently.While the GER for upper primary has seen a small decrease from 98% to 95% compared to last year, the State sees a marginal increase in secondary enrollment at 97%. However, the GER for higher secondary section, while seeing an improvement, still stands at 85%, a far cry from the enrollment of the secondary level.The report also shows that Tamil Nadu has maintained a zero-dropout rate at the primary and upper primary level, but sees a 6.2% dropout at the secondary level. The retention rate, which also follows the same pattern, is 94% at the primary level and 96% till Class 8 but dips to 75.9% when it comes to higher secondary schooling.In Tamil Nadu, private schools’ enrollment is higher compared to the government schools with a difference of over 18 lakh students. According to the report, private schools have over 62 lakh students enrolled while government schools see only over 43 lakh students enrolled. The trend has been observed nationally too. The government aided schools saw an enrollment of over 18 lakh students in the State.According to a press release, the School Education department noted that the State has 57,566 schools, 1,24,02,872 students and 5,69,909 teachers, with an overall Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) of 22, while the national average is 24.It also noted that during the academic year 2025–26, 83,600 students secured admission to polytechnic institutions and 60,355 students joined Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), taking the total number entering organised technical and vocational education to 1,43,955. Published - July 10, 2026 12:28 am IST
