Demographics: Decrease in 'First Graders' and Births – Concerns for the Future

A decrease in enrollments in the first grade is recorded, according to data from the Ministry of Education, with experts explaining the reasons.

According to the Ministry of Education, in the 2025-2026 school year, fewer than 71,200 'first graders' will attend schools, while in 2010-2011 the number of first grade students was approximately 115,000. Professor of Demography, Vyron Kotzamanis, points out that the decrease in enrollments is greater than the decrease in births, a phenomenon also due to migration.

Mr. Kotzamanis emphasizes that the enrollment data from 2010-11 is not directly comparable with this year's, as the data then included public and private schools, while this year's data only concerns public schools. It is estimated that the increase in enrollments in private schools is due to the degradation of public schools.

Additionally, the decrease in first grade students between 2010 and 2025 is greater than the decrease in births between 2004 and 2019, due to migration, as many migrant couples left Greece taking their children with them.

Professor Kotzamanis estimates that the decrease in first grade students is not expected to stop before the 2032-33 school year, unless migration to Greece increases.