Karnataka tops country in high school dropout rate among boys

Bengaluru, Oct 17: Compared to other major states in the country, Karnataka has recorded the highest dropout rate among boys at the high school (classes 9 and 10) level.

The rate at which boys are dropping out of schools in Karnataka is alarming, placing the state at the top of the list of states and union territories with the highest dropout rates. Taking the secondary level (classes 9 to 12) into account, data indicates that 18.1% of male students dropped out during the 2025-2026 academic year.

These statistics were revealed in the recently released Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) report for National Education Policy (NEP)-compliant schools, published by the department of school education and literacy under the central education ministry. Notably, the report also highlights that the dropout rate for girls at the high school level is higher in Karnataka than in states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Although the dropout rate in the state is showing marginal improvement year by year, the progress remains sluggish compared to other states. Statistics from the past three years show a dropout rate of 19.6% in 2023-24, 14.6% in 2024-25, and 13.9% in 2025-26.

When compared to other large states, Karnataka and Assam jointly top the list with 13.9% each, followed by Gujarat at 13.3%. Meanwhile, the union territory of Ladakh stands first in the country with 15.6%. Contextualising the figures for boys' dropout rates specifically, Chhattisgarh stands second after Karnataka with 18%, while Ladakh (15.6%) and Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli (15%) follow.

Karnataka's overall dropout rate has not seen a significant decline either. Considering the secondary level (classes 9 to 12), the state ranks second highest in the country for overall dropout rates, just behind Ladakh. For the 2025-2026 academic year, Karnataka recorded an overall dropout rate of 14.3%, compared to Ladakh's 14.8%.

On a positive note, Karnataka is one of the 12 states and union territories in the country to achieve a 100% transition rate from the foundational stage (pre-primary to class 3) to the preparatory stage (classes 3 to 5). However, the transition rate from the middle stage (classes 6 to 8) to the secondary stage drops to 97.6%. Kerala remains the only state to achieve a 100% transition rate in this latter category.