Asked in the Lok Sabha about the closure and merger of government schools, the Ministry of Education gave the number of government schools in every state for five years, as the states themselves reported them on UDISE+, the national school database.
India had 10,22,386 government schools in 2021-22 and 10,05,245 in 2025-26: 17,141 fewer. The count fell in 29 of the 36 states and union territories.
Where the count fell most
In numbers, the largest falls are in Jammu and Kashmir (4,386), Meghalaya (2,163), Telangana (1,935). As a share of the state’s schools, Meghalaya has 27.8% fewer and Jammu and Kashmir has 18.9% fewer.
Source: Ministry of Education, answer to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question 1374, 27 July 2026, Annexure I (UDISE+).
The closures the answer does not count
The question asked for closures and mergers, year by year. The answer gives the number of government schools instead, so a new school and a closed one in the same state cancel out. The net figure is the most the answer allows anyone to say; how many schools actually closed or were merged is not in it.
That matters most where the question was aimed. Uttar Pradesh, the state the question named, shows 1,37,024 government schools in 2021-22 and 1,37,103 in 2025-26, a net change of +79. A net figure cannot show whether schools were merged in one district while others opened elsewhere.
Got it right
The count rose in 7 states and union territories, most in Rajasthan (+1,035) and Bihar (+877). And the policy the ministry cited sets the right test for every merger: under the National Education Policy 2020, consolidation “must be carried out very judiciously, and only when it is ensured that there is no impact on access.”
Every state and union territory
| State / UT | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jammu and Kashmir | 23,173 | 18,785 | 18,785 | 18,785 | 18,787 | -4,386 | -18.9% |
| Meghalaya | 7,783 | 7,778 | 7,779 | 7,789 | 5,620 | -2,163 | -27.8% |
| Telangana | 30,023 | 29,997 | 30,022 | 30,057 | 28,088 | -1,935 | -6.4% |
| West Bengal | 83,302 | 82,579 | 82,307 | 82,154 | 81,591 | -1,711 | -2.1% |
| Madhya Pradesh | 92,695 | 92,741 | 92,439 | 92,250 | 91,199 | -1,496 | -1.6% |
| Karnataka | 49,679 | 49,520 | 49,306 | 48,844 | 48,527 | -1,152 | -2.3% |
| Maharashtra | 65,639 | 65,431 | 65,157 | 64,884 | 64,571 | -1,068 | -1.6% |
| Assam | 45,490 | 44,925 | 45,008 | 44,741 | 44,550 | -940 | -2.1% |
| Himachal Pradesh | 15,380 | 15,447 | 15,217 | 14,725 | 14,460 | -920 | -6.0% |
| Andhra Pradesh | 45,137 | 45,167 | 45,000 | 44,886 | 44,222 | -915 | -2.0% |
| Uttarakhand | 16,484 | 16,381 | 16,201 | 16,018 | 15,834 | -650 | -3.9% |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 2,985 | 2,922 | 2,847 | 2,558 | 2,468 | -517 | -17.3% |
| Odisha | 49,072 | 48,767 | 48,671 | 48,625 | 48,603 | -469 | -1.0% |
| Haryana | 14,562 | 14,443 | 14,374 | 14,338 | 14,338 | -224 | -1.5% |
| Kerala | 5,010 | 4,811 | 4,809 | 4,808 | 4,809 | -201 | -4.0% |
| Tripura | 4,262 | 4,245 | 4,238 | 4,187 | 4,144 | -118 | -2.8% |
| Ladakh | 838 | 841 | 841 | 812 | 733 | -105 | -12.5% |
| Tamilnadu | 37,636 | 37,658 | 37,672 | 37,626 | 37,539 | -97 | -0.3% |
| Delhi | 2,762 | 2,673 | 2,693 | 2,681 | 2,688 | -74 | -2.7% |
| Nagaland | 1,960 | 1,954 | 1,952 | 1,936 | 1,902 | -58 | -3.0% |
| Goa | 814 | 806 | 789 | 780 | 771 | -43 | -5.3% |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | 388 | 387 | 360 | 361 | 353 | -35 | -9.0% |
| Sikkim | 864 | 864 | 864 | 857 | 829 | -35 | -4.1% |
| Jharkhand | 35,840 | 35,764 | 35,795 | 35,788 | 35,819 | -21 | -0.1% |
| Punjab | 19,259 | 19,245 | 19,242 | 19,243 | 19,241 | -18 | -0.1% |
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 342 | 342 | 340 | 335 | 335 | -7 | -2.0% |
| Chandigarh | 123 | 119 | 119 | 118 | 116 | -7 | -5.7% |
| Lakshadweep | 38 | 37 | 37 | 36 | 34 | -4 | -10.5% |
| Puducherry | 422 | 422 | 420 | 419 | 419 | -3 | -0.7% |
| Gujarat | 34,699 | 34,651 | 34,597 | 34,638 | 34,734 | +35 | 0.1% |
| Manipur | 2,889 | 2,922 | 2,934 | 2,952 | 2,934 | +45 | 1.6% |
| Mizoram | 2,563 | 2,567 | 2,587 | 2,617 | 2,613 | +50 | 2.0% |
| Uttar Pradesh | 1,37,024 | 1,37,003 | 1,37,102 | 1,37,172 | 1,37,103 | +79 | 0.1% |
| Chhattisgarh | 48,743 | 48,728 | 48,803 | 48,827 | 48,853 | +110 | 0.2% |
| Bihar | 75,558 | 75,550 | 78,120 | 76,320 | 76,435 | +877 | 1.2% |
| Rajasthan | 68,948 | 69,538 | 70,233 | 70,155 | 69,983 | +1,035 | 1.5% |
| India | 10,22,386 | 10,16,010 | 10,17,660 | 10,13,322 | 10,05,245 | -17,141 | -1.7% |
How we did this
- Source: the Ministry of Education’s answer to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question 1374, answered on 27 July 2026, Annexure I, from what states and UTs uploaded to UDISE+.
- Adds up: the 36 state rows sum to the printed India row exactly in all five years.
- Download the data: government-schools-2021-22-to-2025-26.csv. Our method and labels are on the Data Audit method page.
Questions
Does a fall in the number of schools mean schools were closed?
Not necessarily. The count is the number of government schools each state reported on UDISE+ each year. A fall can come from closures or mergers, and new schools opening in the same state offset it. The answer gives no count of closures or mergers.
Who decides to close or merge a school?
The state government. The ministry told Parliament that education is in the concurrent list and that opening, merging or closing schools is within the purview of the state government or UT administration.
What does national policy say about merging schools?
The ministry cited the National Education Policy 2020: consolidation of schools must be carried out very judiciously, and only when it is ensured that there is no impact on access (paragraph 7.4).
Where does the data come from?
From the Ministry of Education's answer to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question 1374, answered on 27 July 2026, Annexure I, based on what states and UTs uploaded to UDISE+.
Corrections
No corrections so far. If any figure here is wrong, send the correcting document to editor@oquilia.com and we will correct it and record the change on this page.