South Korea high school migrant student numbers surge 124%

The number of high school students with migrant backgrounds in South Korea has surged by 124.9% over the past four years, rising from 16,744 in 2022 to 37,660 this year. This growth significantly outpaces the increase in middle school (34.7%) and elementary school (6.3%) students from similar backgrounds.

Despite this rapid increase, educational support remains heavily concentrated in elementary schools. Data provided by the Ministry of Education to National Assembly member Han Byeong-do shows that while 72.9% of Korean language classes are allocated to elementary schools, high schools account for only 7.5%. This disparity results in a high student-to-class ratio in high schools, with approximately 837 migrant background students per Korean language class, compared to 271 in elementary schools.

With a large cohort of middle school students expected to enter high school between 2027 and 2029, experts warn that the current support system is insufficient for academic and career guidance. Representative Han emphasized that the next three years are a ‘golden time’ for the Ministry of Education to redesign support systems and allocate resources based on regional demand.