First graders attend an entrance ceremony at Wonchon Elementary School in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on March 3, 2026. (Newsis) Seoul recorded a net inflow of elementary school students in 2025 for the first time in a decade, driven largely by families moving into a handful of districts known for new housing developments or sought-after schools.The number of elementary students transferring into schools in the capital exceeded those leaving by 834 last year, according to a report released Sunday by Jongro Academy, a private education company.The report covers transfer data disclosed in May by 6,280 elementary schools across South Korea.Seoul had recorded a net outflow every year since 2016. The reversal, however, was concentrated in just six of the capital’s 25 districts, rather than reflecting a citywide increase.Gangdong-gu saw the largest net inflow at 1,752 students, followed by Gangnam with 1,331, Yangcheon with 848 and Seocho with 795. Nowon and Songpa recorded smaller gains of 193 and 163, respectively.The remaining 19 districts all reported more elementary students leaving than arriving.The pattern suggests that families are clustering in areas associated with large residential developments and stronger educational infrastructure, according to Jongro Academy.“Elementary school transfers are often linked to property development, while from an educational perspective they can also reflect moves made with middle and high school admissions in mind,” said Lim Seong-ho, head of the academy. “The concentration in established education districts is continuing.”Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds Seoul and has long absorbed families moving out of the capital, recorded the opposite trend.The province lost a net 1,339 elementary students in 2025, its largest outflow in a decade. That marked a sharp reversal from net inflows of 475 students in 2023 and 213 in 2024.The data do not identify why individual families moved, and transfers may reflect changes in housing supply, redevelopment and local demographics as well as education choices.Outside the capital region, the Chungcheong provinces recorded a net inflow of 400 elementary students, extending their run of gains to a third consecutive year.Jongro Academy said expanded regional admissions quotas and government plans to train more doctors outside the Seoul metropolitan area may have influenced some families’ decisions to relocate.