"Schools Are Disappearing"...Schools With 10 or Fewer Graduates to Exceed 2,000

Elementary Schools Account for 1,469, or 78.8%
Number of Schools with 10 or Fewer New Students Also Rising

As the school-age population continues to decline, the number of small schools with 10 or fewer graduates and incoming students is rapidly increasing. In particular, the decrease is pronounced at the elementary school level, and devising measures for how to utilize closed school properties in the future is emerging as a key task.

On December 10 last year, a concert was held in the auditorium of Wolgok Elementary School in Dalseo-gu, Daegu, inviting local residents to share memories ahead of the school's closure. Yonhap News

According to Yonhap News on February 19, Jin Sunmi, a lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Korea who serves on the National Assembly Education Committee, announced that among elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide (based on main campuses, excluding schools that are temporarily closed or already closed), the number of schools with 10 or fewer graduates this year stands at 1,863.

The number of schools with 10 or fewer graduates is projected to reach 1,917 in 2027, 1,994 in 2028, and 1,914 in 2029, before climbing to 2,026 in 2030. Analysts say that the overall decline in the school-age population is leading to an increase in small schools.

By school level, elementary schools account for 1,469 of the schools with 10 or fewer graduates this year, or 78.8% of the total. They are followed by 358 middle schools and 36 high schools. In 2030, the figures are expected to be 1,584 elementary schools, 417 middle schools, and 25 high schools.

The number of schools with 10 or fewer incoming students is also on the rise. This year, the figure stands at 2,196 schools and is projected to increase to 2,234 in 2027 and 2,313 in 2028. It is then expected to decrease somewhat to 2,147 in 2029, before rising again to 2,257 in 2030.

As of this year, there are 1,764 elementary schools, 399 middle schools, and 33 high schools with 10 or fewer incoming students. By 2030, the number of elementary schools is expected to decrease slightly to 1,739, while the number of middle schools is forecast to increase significantly to 485. This indicates that the impact of low birth rates is moving beyond elementary schools and spreading to the middle school level.

Lawmaker Jin Sunmi stressed, "As the decline in the school-age population continues, managing closed school properties will become an important task going forward," adding, "We need to form consultative bodies with local governments and proactively explore ways to utilize educational properties."