Fewer Children in Czech Kindergartens – Student Numbers at Secondary Schools Rise

The number of children in Czech kindergartens continues to decline. At the same time, pupil numbers at primary schools remain largely stable, while secondary schools are attended by more young people than at any time in more than a decade.

In September 2025, around 347,800 children were enrolled in kindergartens in the Czech Republic. Their number thus fell for the third year in a row and dropped below the 350,000 mark for the first time since the 2012/13 school year. The proportion of foreign children increased slightly to 6.2 per cent in 2025. More than half of them are Ukrainian nationals.

The number of children whose school enrolment is postponed has fallen significantly. According to the Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ), the proportion of six-year-olds with deferred school entry fell from 24.1 per cent in September 2021 to 17.7 per cent in September 2025. Last year, just under 21,000 children were affected.

More Than One Million Primary School Pupils

In the 2025/26 school year, a total of around 1.003 million pupils attended Czech primary schools. Of these, 590,300 were in the first five grades and 412,700 in the higher grades.

While the number of younger primary school pupils increased for the fourth consecutive year, it declined in the higher grades. The proportion of foreign pupils rose from 3.2 per cent in 2021 to 7.7 per cent in 2025.

Foto: Brooke Cagle | Unsplash

Highest Number of Secondary School Students Since 2011/12

A total of 514,900 students attended secondary schools in the 2025/26 school year. This is 22.4 per cent more than in the 2018/19 school year and also the highest number since 2011/12. Just under half of the students – 48.1 per cent – completed vocational education leading to a school-leaving certificate. 28 per cent attended a grammar school and 20.6 per cent a vocational programme leading to an apprenticeship certificate.

There are significant regional differences. The proportion of vocational students completing an apprenticeship is particularly high in the Karlovy Vary, Ústí nad Labem and Liberec regions. In Prague, by contrast, it is the lowest at 12.3 per cent. At the same time, Prague has the highest proportion of grammar school students, at 37.6 per cent.

Mechanical engineering and gastronomy are declining in importance among vocational fields, although they remain strongly represented. Electrical engineering and IT, by contrast, are attracting increasing interest.

Number of University Students Grows

The number of university students is also continuing to increase. At the end of 2025, a total of 330,500 students were enrolled at public and private universities in the Czech Republic. This was five per cent more than a year earlier. The upward trend that has continued since 2019 therefore remained intact.