Girls quit school mostly in Class 9-10; household income, chores cited as main reasons: Government data

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jul 28, 2026 05:28 PM IST Union Education Ministry's data shows 8% girl-students in the country have dropped out between class 9 to 10 (AI Image)Eight out of every 100 girls enrolled in secondary school dropped out before completing their education in 2025–26. That is the key takeaway from the Education Ministry’s reply in the Lok Sabha this week. While the secondary school dropout rate for girls fell to 8 per cent — the lowest in the past three years, down from 12.6 per cent in 2023–24 and 9.6 per cent in 2024–25 — it remains starkly higher than at the primary level. Even at its lowest, the secondary school dropout rate for girls is nearly 80 times higher than the primary school dropout rate. The numbers come from UDISE+, the government’s own school database, a