- India has over 1.03 crore teachers and nearly 24.72 crore students in 14.67 lakh schools
- The PGI 2.0 assesses States and UTs on education using 70 indicators across six domains
- The PGI framework groups States into performance bands instead of individual rankings
India's school education system now has more than 1.03 crore teachers for the first time, according to fresh government data. The country also has nearly 24.72 crore students across 14.67 lakh schools.
The figures come from two assessments released by the Union Ministry of Education-the Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2.0 for States and Union Territories, and the Performance Grading Index for Districts (PGI-D) 2025-26.
Both reports draw on data from the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) and other government platforms to evaluate how school education systems are performing across the country.
How States Are Assessed
The PGI framework does not rank States and UTs individually. Instead, it groups them into performance bands, meaning more than one State or UT can fall in the same category.
The index, developed by the Department of School Education and Literacy, is scored out of 1,000 points across 70 indicators.
These indicators fall under two broad heads-Outcome, and Governance and Management. They are further spread across six domains: learning outcomes and quality, access, infrastructure and facilities, equity, governance processes, and teacher education and training.
The assessment draws on data from UDISE+, the PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024, the PM POSHAN Portal, the PRABANDH Portal, and the Vidyanjali Portal.
A New Index For Districts
The ministry has now extended this grading exercise to the district level as well, through the PGI-D. This framework assesses every district on a common set of indicators, with a sharp focus on education outcomes.
The district index carries a weightage of 600 points, also across 70 indicators. These are grouped into six categories: outcomes, effective classroom transaction, infrastructure and student entitlements, school safety and child protection, and digital learning.
Together, these categories span 11 broader domains, from learning outcomes, access and teacher availability to professional development, learning management, infrastructure, school safety, digital learning, fund utilisation, attendance monitoring, and school leadership.
The district-level assessment uses data from UDISE+, the PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024, and the PRABANDH Portal.
With over 14.67 lakh schools and students from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds, the two indices are aimed at giving policymakers a clearer, data-backed picture of how India's school education system is functioning right down to the district level.