Croatia has lost 12.6 per cent of its pupils in the past 13 years, from the 2013/2014 academic year to the current 2026/2027 academic year. In that period, the number of students in primary and secondary schools fell by 64,226.
The 2026/2027 academic year sees a total of 444,937 students in primary and secondary schools, which is 850 fewer than in the previous academic year. Students are distributed across 26,696 class groups, which is 100 more than in the 2013/2014 academic year.
This is a consequence of the decreasing number of pupils per class. Thirteen years ago, the average class had 19.14 pupils, whereas today a class has an average of 16.67 pupils. Previously, a primary school class had 17.51 pupils on average, and a secondary school class 23.17. Today, a primary school class has an average of 15.57 pupils, while the average in a secondary school is 19.43.
The school network is also changing. This year, the number of main schools decreased by two, and 22 small local schools were closed or have temporarily ceased operations. We are entering this academic year with a total of 1,326 main schools and 1,022 local schools. Compared to the 2013/2014 state, the number of main school institutions in 2026/2027 has increased by 48, but 198 local schools have been closed. 46 local schools were closed in the four counties alone.
The differences between counties are significant. The Vukovar-Srijem County has lost more than a third of its pupils (34.6 per cent), the Brod-Posavina County has lost 31.4 per cent, and the Požega-Slavonia County 31.3 per cent of its pupils. On the other hand, the City of Zagreb has increased its number of pupils by 2.03 per cent, and the Istria County by 1.8 per cent. The Šibenik-Knin County has lost 18.6 per cent of its pupils, while the Split-Dalmatia County has remained within the national average (-12.6 per cent). The Zadar County has recorded a decline of 7.14 per cent, and the Dubrovnik-Neretva County 6.07 per cent. In the last 13 years, the total number of pupils in Dalmatia has decreased by 12,118.
However, the number of first-graders is rising. In the 2026/2027 academic year, a total of 36,779 first-graders were enrolled, which is 318 more than in the 2025/2026 academic year. In the primary schools of the Šibenik-Knin County, 888 first-graders were enrolled, 105 more than the previous year. In the Split-Dalmatia County, 4,209 first-graders were enrolled (+70), 1,610 in the Zadar County (30 more), and 1,129 first-graders in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County, two fewer than the previous year. In total, in the Dalmatian schools, there were 200 more first-graders this academic year than last.
The trend of rising numbers in the first grades of primary schools has been evident since the 2023/2024 academic year. Croatia has been recording a positive migration balance with foreign countries since 2022.
