How Many Schools Are There in India? (2026 Statistics by Board)
Short answer: India has approximately 14.9 lakh (1.49 million) schools, according to UDISE+ data published by the Department of School Education and Literacy.
That's roughly one school for every 950 Indians — one of the largest school networks in the world. The number has stayed in the 14.5–15.0 lakh range over the past five years, with mild churn as smaller schools merge or close and new private institutions open.
Schools in India — By Management Type
| Management type | Number of schools | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Government (state & central) | ~10.2 lakh | ~69% |
| Private unaided | ~3.4 lakh | ~23% |
| Government aided | ~84,000 | ~6% |
| Madrasa & unrecognised | ~26,000 | ~2% |
| Total | ~14.9 lakh | 100% |
Figures rounded to two significant digits. Source: UDISE+ Report on Indian School Education (most recent published edition). Counts shift year-to-year by 1–2%.
Schools in India — By Board / Affiliation
| Board / affiliation | Approx. schools |
|---|---|
| CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) | ~28,000 |
| CISCE — ICSE / ISC | ~2,400 |
| State boards (combined, all states) | ~14.4 lakh |
| International (IB, Cambridge IGCSE) | ~700–1,000 |
| National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) | ~7,500 study centres |
State boards collectively cover the overwhelming majority of schools because most government schools follow their state's syllabus. The largest state-board systems are in Bihar (BSEB), Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu.
Top States by School Count
- Uttar Pradesh — ~2.6 lakh schools (largest state network)
- Madhya Pradesh — ~1.3 lakh schools
- Rajasthan — ~1.1 lakh schools
- Maharashtra — ~1.1 lakh schools
- Bihar — ~95,000 schools (BSEB-affiliated majority)
- West Bengal — ~94,000 schools
- Karnataka — ~76,000 schools
- Tamil Nadu — ~58,000 schools
Schools by Level
| Level | Approx. schools |
|---|---|
| Primary (Class 1–5 only) | ~8.4 lakh |
| Upper primary (1–8 or 6–8) | ~4.5 lakh |
| Secondary (1–10 or 9–10) | ~1.5 lakh |
| Senior secondary (1–12 or 9–12) | ~1.5 lakh |
Total Student & Teacher Numbers
For context, India's school system serves approximately:
- ~26.5 crore (265 million) students across all 14.9 lakh schools
- ~95 lakh (9.5 million) teachers
- Average pupil-teacher ratio: ~26 at the primary level
Trends in Indian School Counts (Last 5 Years)
- Mild decline in total count — small schools (under 30 students) are merging into bigger neighbouring schools, particularly in rural areas.
- Growth in private unaided — Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities continue to add private schools, driven by demand for English-medium and CBSE pathways.
- Digital transformation — UDISE+, DIKSHA, and PM e-Vidya have pushed every school towards basic digital record-keeping. Cloud-based school ERPs are increasingly the norm even outside metro cities.
- NEP 2020 implementation — schools are restructuring towards the 5+3+3+4 model, which is changing how primary, upper primary and secondary are counted.
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How many CBSE schools are there in India?
Approximately 28,000 CBSE-affiliated schools in India and abroad as of 2026. CBSE is one of the largest school boards by affiliation count, behind the combined state-board systems.
How many ICSE schools are there in India?
Approximately 2,400+ schools are affiliated to CISCE, which conducts the ICSE and ISC examinations.
How many private schools are in India?
About 3.4 lakh private unaided schools, plus ~84,000 government-aided private schools — together about 28% of all schools.
How many government schools are in India?
Approximately 10.2 lakh — about 69% of the total, serving the largest share of total enrolment.
Which Indian state has the most schools?
Uttar Pradesh, with around 2.6 lakh schools — far ahead of the next largest, Madhya Pradesh (~1.3 lakh).
All figures are approximate, rounded to two significant digits, and based on the most recent UDISE+ Report on Unified District Information System for Education Plus (Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, Government of India). Year-to-year variance is typically 1–2%.