Of the 10.13 lakh government schools across India, 5,149 reported zero students in the 2024-25 academic year, with more than 70 per cent of these empty schools located in Telangana and West Bengal, according to government data.
The education ministry has also flagged a sharp rise in the broader category of schools described as “with less than 10 or zero enrolment”.
Data shared in Parliament shows that the number of such government schools increased by 24 per cent over the last two years, rising from 52,309 in 2022-23 to 65,054 in 2024-25.
These schools now constitute 6.42 per cent of the country’s total government schools, the ministry said in a written reply to questions by MPs Karti P. Chidambaram and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring in the Lok Sabha.
Among states, Telangana accounts for around 2,081 schools with no enrolment, while West Bengal has 1,571 such institutions.
District-level data from the Unified District Information System for Education Plus shows that Telangana’s Nalgonda district recorded the highest number of empty schools in the country at 315. Mahabubabad followed with 167, and Warangal with 135.
In West Bengal, Kolkata has 211 government schools with zero enrolment, the second highest figure nationally. Purba Medinipur reported 177 such schools, while Dakshin Dinajpur had 147.
Despite the absence or near absence of students, a substantial workforce continues to be deployed at these institutions.
Across India, 1.44 lakh teachers are currently posted in government schools with fewer than 10 students or no enrolment, up from 1.26 lakh in 2022-23.
In West Bengal alone, 27,348 teachers are assigned to 6,703 government schools in this low enrolment category, translating to roughly four teachers per school, according to official figures.
Bihar shows an even higher concentration, with 3,600 teachers deployed across 730 such schools, an average of nearly five teachers per institution, more than double the national average of 2.2 for this category.
The ministry stated that the recruitment and rational deployment of teachers fall under the purview of the respective state governments.
The data further indicates a gradual decline in the total number of government schools nationwide, from 10.32 lakh in 2019-20 to 10.13 lakh in 2024-25.