The number of first-graders in Odesa has dropped by 40 percent over the past four years

In Odesa, the number of first-graders has decreased from 10,981 to 6,502 over the past four years. The difference between the figures for the 2021–2022 school year and the 2025–2026 school year is 40 percent. 

This was reported by the Odesa City Council. 

In the 2026–2027 school year, the number of first-graders in Odesa dropped even further. On September 1, 5,572 students will take their seats at their desks. 

This year, 5,968 students will enter the 10th grade at Odessa schools. 

Starting in September 2027, the network of lyceums is scheduled to be optimized. The city will retain 39 specialized institutions. The Primorsky District will have the most (14), while the Peresypsky District will have the fewest (seven). The Khadzhibeyevsky and Kyiv districts will each retain nine specialized lyceums. Lyceums No. 13 and No. 81 are joining the second phase of the pilot program for reforming specialized secondary education. 

Overall, Odessa’s education system comprises 280 municipal schools, attended by more than 104,000 children. 

Earlier,Oleksandr Lonchak, director of the Odesa Regional State Administration’s Department of Education and Science, toldIntent that schools in the Odesa region are expecting more than 222,000 students this year, including 15,730 first-graders. 

To ensure safe learning in the region, 1,408 civil defense facilities have been prepared, which can accommodate more than 316,000 participants in the educational process. Another 196 schools are ready to hold classes directly in shelters—this arrangement is designed to accommodate more than 31,700 children.

Юлія Калабайда