Iran reports over 140,000 children out of school

As the 2026-2027 school year began in Iran on September 23, official data reveals a significant gap between enrollment ceremonies and the reality of children excluded from the education system. While the Ministry of Education reported that over 16.5 million students attended classes across 124,000 schools, approximately 140,562 children were identified as being out of school during the previous academic year.

Of those out-of-school children, about 41,000 had left the country and nearly 18,000 were unable to attend due to severe disabilities. The demographic breakdown shows that 55.45% of these children were boys and 44.55% were girls.

Educational inequality is heavily influenced by geography, with the highest numbers of out-of-school children recorded in the provinces of Sistan and Baluchestan, Tehran, Razavi Khorasan, and Khuzestan. Experts note that less-developed provinces and rural areas face specific challenges, including inadequate transportation infrastructure and long distances to educational facilities.