CHINA

China Shutters 30,000 Preschools and Primary Schools in a Single Year

Published: Jul. 13, 2026 2:28 p.m. GMT+8

00:00

00:00/00:00

Listen to this article 1x

A closed private kindergarten in Harbin, China, displayed a “For Rent” sign on May 26, 2026. Photo: VCG

China closed nearly 30,000 kindergartens and primary schools in 2025, the starkest sign yet that a prolonged demographic slump is fundamentally upending the country’s vast education system.

Recent data released by the Ministry of Education revealed a severe structural divergence: while early childhood and primary education are shrinking rapidly, high schools and universities are expanding to absorb a demographic bulge from earlier birth peaks.

You've accessed an article available only to subscribers

Subscribe today for just $.99.

VIEW OPTIONS

Unlock exclusive discounts with a Caixin group subscription — ideal for teams and organizations.

Save an extra $50. Introductory offer for new readers. Subscribe now.

Share this article

Open WeChat and scan the QR code

DIGEST HUB

Digest Hub

Back

Explore the story in 30 seconds

China closed nearly 30,000 kindergartens and primary schools in 2025 due to falling birth rates.
Preschool enrollment dropped 10%, while high school and university enrollment expanded; private schools face contraction.
Government's 2026-2030 plan includes repurposing idle facilities, reallocating staff, and maintaining education spending at 4% of GDP.

AI generated, for reference only

What Happened When

2016：: China implemented the two-child policy, leading to a temporary bump in births.

2017：: Birth rates began to decline after the two-child policy implementation.

2020：: Birth rates fell further around this time, reducing the cohort entering primary school in 2024 and 2025.

2021：: 70.3% of primary school teachers held a bachelor's degree or higher.

2023：: Primary school enrollment peaked at 18.77 million, driven by births from the two-child policy.

2025：: China closed nearly 30,000 kindergartens and primary schools; 21,400 kindergartens lost, total 231,900; kindergarten enrollment dropped by 3.58 million to 32.25 million; primary schools fell by about 8,000 to 128,300; primary school admissions dropped 9.6% to 14.61 million; middle school admissions rose to 18.52 million; regular high schools increased by 300 to 16,100; private high schools numbered 5,003; vocational high school enrollment dropped by 1.1 million; total teaching staff fell to 15.68 million; 85.3% of primary school teachers held a bachelor's degree or higher; higher education gross enrollment rate reached 61.3%; more than 1 million master's and 100,000 doctoral graduates; graduates from vocational bachelor's programs exceeded 80,000.