This Year’s High School Entrants at Lowest in 46 Years... Will Decrease Further in 8 Years

410,000 High School Entrants This Year... 32,754 Fewer Than Last Year
Lowest Number Recorded at Elementary, Middle, and High School Admissions Since Sharp Decline in Births in 2005
About Half of the Record High 810,000 High School Entrants in 1997
Third Lowest Number of Elementary and Middle School Entrants in History This Year

As the school density standard was raised from one-third to two-thirds, the attendance of middle school students in the metropolitan area has expanded, and vocational high school students can now attend school every day. On the 14th, students are attending school at Jangpyeong Middle School in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. 2021.06.14 Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The number of high school freshmen this year has recorded the lowest level since 1975. The number of entrants to elementary, middle, and high schools decreased by 4.1% compared to last year. It is expected that the number of entrants will further decline in 2029, eight years from now.

On the 16th, Jongno Academy Sky Education analyzed the status of entrants to elementary, middle, and high schools based on School Alimi data. The total number of entrants was 1,291,784, a decrease of 54,762 (4.1%) compared to last year. The number of entrants by school level was ▲Elementary school 428,438 ▲Middle school 449,419 ▲High school 413,927.

Compared to the previous year, the number of high school students decreased by 32,754, showing the largest decline. Middle school entrants also decreased by 23,815 compared to last year, but elementary school entrants unusually increased by 1,807 compared to last year.

The number of high school entrants falling below 420,000 is the first time since 1975. The number of births in 2005 recorded the lowest ever before 2010, and the number of entrants also set record lows in 2012 and 2018 when those born that year entered elementary school. This year’s middle school entrants were the third lowest ever, following 2018 and 2019. Elementary school entrants were the third lowest ever, following 2012 and 2020.

The number of births, which exceeded 600,000 until the late 1990s, sharply dropped to 490,000 in 2002 and 430,000 in 2005, and has remained in the high 400,000s until 2012. In 1997, when the 'Echo Generation' (born 1979?1992), children of the baby boom generation, were attending school, the number of high school entrants reached an all-time high of 816,695. Compared to that time, this year’s high school entrants are about half.

Oh Jong-woon, Evaluation Director at Jongno Academy Sky Education, analyzed, "Comparing the trends in the number of students by grade in elementary, middle, and high schools, the decreasing trend will continue until 2028, and after 2029, it is expected to decrease to below 410,000, the lowest record."

The number of elementary school entrants also showed large regional disparities. Gyeonggi-do (124,483) accounted for 29.1% of the total, twice that of Seoul (63,721). At the city/county/district level, Hwaseong-si in Gyeonggi-do was recorded at 11,358 entrants, more than Gangwon-do (11,039) and Ulsan (10,957). Hwaseong-si’s entrant size is even larger than Jeju and Sejong. This is due to the concentration of second-phase new town development policies, such as Dongtan New Town, in Gyeonggi-do.

Meanwhile, there were 128 schools nationwide (including 70 branch schools) with zero entrants this year in elementary, middle, and high schools. Jeollanam-do and Gyeongsangbuk-do had the most, with 28 schools each, followed by Gangwon (18 schools), Gyeongsangnam-do (14 schools), and Jeollabuk-do (10 schools). Schools with only one entrant numbered 138, with Gyeongsangbuk-do (34 schools), Jeollabuk-do (25 schools), Gangwon (23 schools), Jeollanam-do (18 schools), and Gyeongsangnam-do (16 schools). Schools with fewer than 10 entrants numbered 1,805, accounting for 15.1% of all schools.