Demographic decline empties schools: 26 closures and 433 fewer classes in 2026/2027
The 2026/2027 school year started with 433 fewer class groups, roughly 3,000 fewer first-graders and a wave of rural school closures.
The first week of the 2026/2027 school year ended with a sharp decline in classroom capacity: the school bell did not ring in 26 schools and the year opened with 433 fewer class groups than a year earlier.
Education authorities say the reductions are part of an ongoing optimisation effort, largely affecting rural communities where shrinking child populations have made many schools unsustainable.
Pressures on small schools and falling enrolment
The Ministry of Education and Science, represented by Minister Vesna Janevska, reported that the state of affairs for the new school year is linked to demographic decline and addressed first-graders at the start of classes. Her statement triggered a wave of reactions from parents, civil groups and opposition parties, who question whether demographics alone explain the rise in empty and closed schools.
In the space of a single year, authorities recorded 26 newly closed schools and approximately 3,000 fewer first-graders — figures that education experts and local leaders call a sign of a deepening demographic crisis and an alarming development for the school network.
Journalists also sought comment from university professor Kiril Barbareev on whether the optimisation measures and closures correctly respond to the long-term trends or risk further weakening access to education in remote areas.
Policymakers now face a choice between continuing consolidation driven by falling pupil numbers and exploring supplementary measures — from transport and class reorganisation to incentives for families — to preserve learning opportunities in depopulating regions.
Photo: press material from the event
