The UDISE+ 2025–26 report presents a comprehensive assessment of India's school education system, covering 14.67 lakh schools, 1.03 crore teachers, and 24.72 crore students. The system maintains an average of seven teachers and 169 students per school, with an overall favorable Pupil-Teacher Ratio of 24:1, well within the NEP 2020-recommended benchmark of 30:1.
Gross Enrolment Ratio shows significant progress with 71.7% at the Secondary stage and 89.6% at the Middle stage. Enrolment distribution across education stages shows Secondary stage accounting for 27.16% of total enrolment, followed by Preparatory stage (25.60%), Middle stage (25.58%), and Foundational stage (21.66%). Stage-wise Pupil-Teacher Ratios stand at 10:1 (Foundational), 12:1 (Preparatory), 17:1 (Middle), and 21:1 (Secondary).
Student retention rates show marked improvement with 98.5% at Foundational stage, 91.1% at Preparatory stage, 83.7% at Middle stage, and 51.9% at Secondary stage. Dropout rates declined significantly to 1.8% at Preparatory stage and 7.0% at Secondary stage, while Middle stage saw a marginal increase to 3.6%. Transition rates between stages remain robust at 99.2% (Foundational to Preparatory), 93.8% (to Middle stage), and 88.3% (to Secondary stage).
The number of single-teacher schools decreased by approximately 3% to 1,00,843, while zero-enrolment schools saw a significant 29% decline to 5,663 compared to the previous year. Gender distribution shows girls accounting for 48.4% of total student enrolment, with women constituting 54.9% of all teachers.
Social composition of enrolment shows Other Backward Classes students accounting for 44.9% of total enrolment, followed by General category (27.5%), Scheduled Castes (17.7%), and Scheduled Tribes (10%). Children with Special Needs comprise 57.16% boys and 42.84% girls.
Infrastructure development shows significant progress with 69.9% of schools equipped with computers and 67.4% having internet connectivity. Basic infrastructure availability includes electricity in 95% of schools, safe drinking water in 99.5% of schools, girls' toilets in 98.5% of schools, boys' toilets in 97.2% of schools, handwashing facilities in 96.9% of schools, libraries in 90.5% of schools, rainwater harvesting in 29.9% of schools, and ramps with handrails in 58.2% of schools.
The UDISE+ system serves as a key data repository for tracking implementation of National Education Policy 2020, facilitating evidence-based planning, policymaking, and monitoring of educational progress across India.