New Delhi: Over one lakh schools in the country are functioning with just a single teacher, government data has revealed, even as school dropout rates have dropped across preparatory and secondary levels in the last academic year.
The Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) report for 2025-26, released by the Education Ministry on Tuesday, showed that 1,00,843 schools across the country were found to be functioning with only a single teacher. Andhra Pradesh had the most such schools, at 16,357, followed by Jharkhand with 9,827. Punjab reported 1,749 single-teacher schools.
Zero-Enrolment And Single-Teacher Schools
The report, which covers 14,66,682 schools nationwide, flagged 5,663 institutions with zero student enrolment. West Bengal accounted for the highest share of such schools, with 4,133 recording no enrolment at all.
Several States and Union Territories reported no zero-enrolment schools, including Chandigarh, Goa, Delhi, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep, Puducherry and Haryana. Punjab recorded 19 schools with no students, which nonetheless had 53 teachers posted to them.
Girls' Enrolment, Infrastructure Show Gains
The data also pointed to a slight uptick in girls' representation in schools, with their enrolment share rising to 48.4 per cent in 2025-26 from 48.3 per cent a year earlier.
On infrastructure, the report noted improvements across several indicators. Schools equipped with ramps and handrails for students with disabilities rose to 58.2 per cent, up from 54.9 per cent in 2024-25. Internet connectivity in schools also saw a sharp rise, climbing to 67.4 per cent from 63.5 per cent the previous year-a jump the report linked to growing efforts to strengthen digital learning infrastructure.
Other basic facilities remained widespread: 95 per cent of schools now have electricity, 98.5 per cent have toilets for girls, and 97.2 per cent have toilets for boys. Handwashing stations are available in 96.9 per cent of schools, while 99.5 per cent have access to safe drinking water.
Fall in School dropout
India has recorded a fall in school dropout rates at both the preparatory and secondary levels in 2025-26, according to the data, continuing a trend seen over the previous three academic years. Dropout among students in Classes 3 to 5 fell to 1.8 per cent this year, down from 2.3 per cent in 2024-25. At the secondary level, covering Classes 9 and 10, the dropout rate dropped from 8.2 per cent to 7 per cent over the same period.
Pupil-Teacher Ratios Within Recommended Limits
The Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) across the foundational, preparatory, middle and secondary stages stood at 10, 12, 17 and 21 respectively-well within the 30:1 ratio recommended under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 for effective classroom interaction.
The report noted that Chandigarh and Delhi had the highest number of students per school with PTR figures within the norms set by the Right to Education (RTE) Act, pointing to efficient use of existing school infrastructure. By contrast, it flagged Ladakh, Mizoram, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Meghalaya as having notably low student numbers per school, suggesting scope for rationalising school infrastructure in these regions.
