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While girls were denied schooling due to social barriers, boys faced issues of early entry into workforce due to poor economic condition of the house at times, among other reasons
The dropout rate for boys at the primary level is 0.8 per cent, compared to virtually no dropout for girls in 2024-25. (PTI)
For the first time, boys in India are dropping out of school at higher rates than girls across all levels—primary, upper primary, and secondary—reversing a decades-long trend where girls were more vulnerable to leaving education early.
The dropout rate shows the percentage of students leaving school before completing a level—Primary (classes 1–5); upper primary (classes 6–8); and secondary (class 9–10).
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According to 2024-25 education ministry data analysed by News18, girls remained in school longer despite persistent social barriers. Boys, however, began dropping out from the primary stage, with the gap widening at upper levels.
The dropout rate for boys at the primary level is 0.8 per cent, compared to virtually no dropout for girls in 2024-25. At the upper primary level, the dropout rate increases to 4.1 per cent for boys, while remaining lower at 2.9 per cent for girls.
At the secondary level, dropout rates rise significantly, with 13.3 per cent of boys leaving school before completion, compared to 9.6 per cent girls.
The total average dropout rates across the three levels of school education in 2024-25 grew from 0.3 per cent at the primary level to 3.5 per cent at the upper primary level, and ultimately 11.5 per cent at the secondary level.
The numbers from 2024-25 look more promising in the light that in both 2022-23 and 2023-24, the dropout rate of girls was higher for the upper primary.
While girls were denied schooling due to several social barriers, boys faced issues of early entry into the workforce due to the poor economic condition of the house at times, among the other reasons.
Dropout rates declined across all levels between 2022-23 and 2024-25, but challenges remain.
The data, sourced from the Department of School Education and Literacy’s Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+), shows that dropout rates increase proportionally at each stage.
Across states and Union Territories, there were only a few instances where dropout rates of girls exceeded those of boys. Lakshadweep was the only part of the country where girls (5 per cent) had a higher dropout rate at the secondary level than boys (3.2 per cent).
While no state or Union Territory had a dropout rate of girls higher than boys at the primary level, there are four states where the pattern is otherwise for the upper primary level.
Only in Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh, girls drop out more than boys at upper primary. Even then, the gap is under one percentage point.
Declining Enrolment Led by Boys
Boys in India have also reported a decline in enrolment, pushing the country’s total enrolment towards a drop between 2022-23 and 2024-25, the data shows. On the contrary, girls’ enrolment remains relatively stable.
Total enrolment in India has dropped by almost 50 lakh, from 25.2 crore in 2022-23 to 24.7 crore in 2024-25.
The enrolment of boys has dropped by over 33 lakh—from 13.09 crore in 2022-23 to 12.76 crore in 2024-25. For girls, the decline was about half as steep—16 lakh—from 12.09 crore in 2022-23 to 11.93 crore in 2024-25.
While the enrolment of boys is on a consistent decline, girls had increased by about 33,000 between 2023-24 and 2024-25.
Girls now make up a slightly larger share of total enrolment—from 48.04 per cent in 2022-23 to 48.33 per cent in 2024-25, as shown in the graphics.
Girls Better in Retention
The retention rates for girls surpass those of boys at every stage. The retention rates across levels dropped from 92.4 per cent at the primary level to 82.8 per cent at the middle and 62.9 per cent at the secondary level, as shown in the graph.
The retention rate is the percentage of students who continue their education from the start of a level to its completion – Primary (Class 1 to Class 5); Elementary (Class 1 to Class 8); Secondary (Class 1 to Class 10); and Higher Secondary (Class 1 to Class 12).
In terms of gender, data from the Education Ministry shows that almost 94 per cent of girls remain enrolled at the primary level versus 92 per cent of the boys in 2024-25. At the elementary level, this was 84 per cent of girls compared to 82 per cent of boys.
At the secondary level, 64 per cent of girls remained enrolled compared to 62 per cent of boys that further dropped at the higher secondary level—50 per cent of girls compared to 45 per cent of boys.
Curtailing dropouts and ensuring universal access to education at all levels by 2030 is one of the primary goals of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
While these may seem like marginal improvements, they help in taking forward the aim for a society where more women can participate through education.
However, with boys now at greater risk of leaving school early, policymakers face the dual challenge of supporting both genders differently to meet the 2030 universal education goals.
About the Author
Nivedita Singh is a data journalist and covers the Election Commission, Indian Railways and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. She has nearly seven years of experience in the news media. She tweets @nived…Read More
Nivedita Singh is a data journalist and covers the Election Commission, Indian Railways and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. She has nearly seven years of experience in the news media. She tweets @nived… Read More
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