Italy in general and the South in particular, continue to record a worrying decline in student numbers. According to the latest official data, for the 2025/26 school year, enrolments in the first classes of Apulian schools mark a drop of almost 8.000 units compared to the previous year.
A worrying fact, which highlights a negative trend that affects all school cycles, from primary to secondary school. Obviously those who are most at “risk” are the precarious ones. The issue is logical: if there are fewer enrolled, fewer teachers with annual contracts will also be needed.
School, less than 100 thousand enrollments in Puglia
In fact, the total number of first-year enrollments dropped from over 101.500 to just over 93.600 students. The reduction is particularly significant in secondary schools., which lost more than 5.000 students, followed by primary school with a decrease of over 1.500 students and lower secondary school which recorded a decrease of approximately 1.100 students.
At the provincial level, the areas of Bari and Lecce are suffering the most marked declines. Here is the list:
- The province of Bari loses 2.076 subscribers
- Lecce 1.638
- Foggia 1.282
- Toast 1.063
- Taranto 954
- Bat 851
These numbers mark a clear demographic decline, which raises questions about the future of education in the region and the causes of this reduction. The reasons for this decline are multiple and must be sought in both demographic and social factors.
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