This year, the estimated number of new elementary school students in South Korea is expected to drop below 300,000.

The "Revised Estimate of the Number of Elementary and Middle School Students in 2025" announced by the South Korean Ministry of Education on the 13th shows that the estimated number of first-grade elementary students nationwide this year is 298,178. Due to variables such as resident registration population and enrollment rates, the point at which the number of new elementary students falls below 300,000 is one year earlier than the Ministry of Education's prediction of 2027 last year. Compared to 2023, the number of new elementary students has decreased by 103,574 in just 3 years, a decrease of 25.8%. The South Korean Ministry of Education predicts that the number of new elementary students will continue to decrease, reaching 220,481 by 2031, a decrease of approximately 32% compared to 2025.