In Busan and Daejeon, Zero First-Year Students... Record Low Enrollment Signals Population Decline

Small Schools Face Crisis as New Student Numbers Plummet
Some Hold "Solo" Entrance Ceremonies or None at All
Rural and Non-Metropolitan Areas Hit Hardest by Low Birth Rate
School Closures Accelerate Nationwide

In old urban areas and rural regions, it is becoming increasingly difficult for small elementary schools to enroll new students. Due to the decline in the school-age population caused by low birth rates, many schools have held "solo" entrance ceremonies or were unable to hold entrance ceremonies at all due to having no new students.

On the 4th, Yonhap News reported on schools with either no new students or only one new student. According to the report, Gunseo Elementary School in Okcheon, Chungbuk, which boasts a 105-year tradition, started the new semester on the 4th without any new students for the first time since its establishment. The local community even launched the "Gunseo245 Movement," encouraging people to move to Gunseo-myeon, but the results were minimal.

On the 4th, first-grade new students who completed the entrance ceremony at Gyodong Elementary School in Ganghwa-gun, Incheon, are moving to their classrooms. This school has one new student this year. Photo by Yonhap News.

Giseong Elementary School Gilheon Branch in Pyeongchon-dong, Seo-gu, Daejeon, is a mini school with fewer than 10 students in total, but this year it failed to secure any new students. This is the first time an elementary school in Daejeon has had no new students.

In Busan, the "second largest city in South Korea," an elementary school in Gangseo-gu started the academic schedule without holding an entrance ceremony due to no new students. At an elementary school in Gijang-gun, only one student enrolled. According to the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education, the number of new elementary school students in Busan has been decreasing every year: 23,081 in 2023, 20,393 in 2024, and 18,422 this year.

On the 4th, a new student who completed the entrance ceremony at Gyodong Elementary School in Ganghwa-gun, Incheon, is listening to the homeroom teacher's explanation about school life in the classroom. This school has one new student this year. Photo by Yonhap News.

In Gunwi-gun, Daegu, a region at risk of population extinction, the shortage of new students led to entrance ceremonies for four elementary schools being held simultaneously at one location. At the auditorium of Bugye Elementary School in Bugye-myeon, Gunwi-gun, a "2025 Academic Year Joint Entrance Ceremony" was held for six new students from this school, one new student from Gomae Elementary School in Hyoryeong-myeon, two new students from Hyoryeong Elementary School, and one new student from Uiheung Elementary School in Uiheung-myeon.

The situation is even more severe in areas outside major cities. In Gyeongsangnam-do, 26 elementary schools have no new students this year, and 36 schools have only one new student, including 33 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 1 high school.

Meanwhile, the decline in the school-age population due to low birth rates is also leading to school closures. According to the "Status of School Closures Nationwide by 17 Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education" submitted by Jin Sun-mi, a member of the National Assembly's Education Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, to the Ministry of Education, 49 elementary, middle, and high schools are scheduled to close this year. By school level, 38 are elementary schools, 8 are middle schools, and 3 are high schools. By region, excluding Seoul and Gyeonggi (6 schools), 43 schools, or 88% of the total, are located in non-metropolitan areas such as Jeonnam (10 schools), Chungnam (9 schools), and Gangwon (7 schools).