Schools See Sharp 14.5% Drop in Student Numbers

Eastern Thessaloniki’s public primary schools have recorded a 14.48% decline in student numbers over the past five years, with enrolments falling from 25,871 in the 2021-22 school year to 22,125 in 2026-27. The figures, drawn from the MySchool information system, cover 131 public general primary schools under the Directorate of Primary Education of Eastern Thessaloniki and show a loss of 3,746 students since 2021. The decline has remained steady, with student numbers falling by between 2.3% and 3.6% each year.

The trend also affects most schools: 110 of the 131 schools now have fewer students than they did five years ago. On average, each school has lost around 29 students. Only a small number of schools have recorded increases, largely because of local changes such as adjustments to school catchment boundaries or changes in school accommodation, rather than an increase in the number of children living in the wider area.

The decline mainly affects the lower grades. Students who enter primary school together generally remain similar in number as they progress through to the sixth grade. Changing family patterns reshape school enrolments The distribution of students appears to reflect where younger families now choose to live.

In central Thessaloniki, fewer young couples are settling in the area, a trend reflected in lower school enrolments. By contrast, construction and residential development in the Thermi area are attracting new families, leading local schools to welcome more children. The Directorate of Primary Education of Eastern Thessaloniki presented the figures during an information event and press conference held on Monday afternoon at the Tower of the School of Education of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH).

The event marked World Teachers’ Day, which takes place each year on October 5, and was attended by Deputy Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports Nikolaos Papaioannou and Deputy Minister of Interior for Macedonia and Thrace Konstantinos Gkiouslekas. Papaioannou: Teachers are educators, guides and motivators Papaioannou highlighted the wider role teachers play in shaping young people and society. “World Teachers’ Day, celebrated every year on October 5, provides an important opportunity to recognise the decisive role teachers play in shaping the new generation and, consequently, our society,” he said, thanking teachers for…