Italy to implement 30% cap on foreign students in classrooms

Italian Minister of Education Giuseppe Valditara has announced a policy to ensure that no classroom exceeds a 30% threshold of foreign students starting from the next school year. The minister stated the move is intended to protect the educational experience of Italian students. This definition of foreign students includes children born in Italy to foreign parents who may not yet hold citizenship.

The announcement comes amid significant demographic shifts in Italy. Data from Istat indicates a historic decline in birth rates, with births falling to 355,000 in 2025, a 3.9% decrease from the previous year. In regions like Crema, the increasing percentage of foreign students is noted as a factor that helps mitigate the impact of the declining domestic population on school enrollment numbers.

Statistics show that children born to at least one foreign parent account for over 21% of total births in Italy. While the 30% cap was previously introduced in 2010, it was largely disregarded until this renewed enforcement effort by the current ministry.