Odisha achieves near-universal early school retention, tops in infra: Report

Bhubaneswar: Odisha has achieved near-universal retention in the early years of schooling and outperformed the national average on several infrastructure indicators, according to the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2025-26 report, released by the Ministry of Education on Tuesday.

The state, however, continues to face challenges in secondary-level retention.During the 2025-26 academic session, the dropout rate at the secondary level (classes IX to XII) stood at 10%, significantly higher than the national average of 7%. The rate has also risen steadily from 9.8% in 2024-25 and 9.1% in 2023-24.In contrast, the dropout rate at the middle level (classes VI to VIII) stood at 2.2%, lower than the national average of 3.6%.

The retention rate at the preparatory level (pre-primary to Class II) remained at 100% for the third consecutive academic session.The report also noted that Odisha has a larger share of schools relative to its share of enrolled students. The state has 61,594 schools, with nearly 46% at the foundational and preparatory level, 34% at the middle level and 20% at the secondary level. Schools in Odisha have an average enrolment of 126 students, compared with the national average of 169, reflecting smaller school sizes and possible under-utilisation.

Odisha has 3,41,909 teachers across its schools, with a pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) of 23, compared with the national average of 24. However, the state continues to grapple with the challenge of single-teacher schools. As many as 1,458 schools operate with only one teacher.The state has also outperformed the national average across several key school infrastructure indicators. As many as 95.9% of schools in Odisha have functional electricity, compared with the national average of 93.5%.

The state also fared marginally better in the availability of drinking water facilities, with 98.5% of schools covered against the national average of 98.3%.Functional girls' toilets are available in 98.8% of schools, significantly higher than the national average of 95.8%. Odisha also has stronger digital infrastructure, with 82% of schools equipped with computer facilities compared with 69.9% nationally, while 76.9% have internet connectivity against the national average of 67.4%.