India boasts the world’s largest secondary school system, with an astounding 139,539 secondary schools catering to children aged 13 to 16 as of March 2018. This places India far ahead of other global education systems, underscoring its vast and growing network of educational institutions.
Following India, China holds the second-largest number of secondary schools, with 77,398 as of 2016. Despite China’s significant population and educational system, it still falls short of India’s sheer number of secondary schools, reflecting India’s commitment to expanding access to education across its diverse regions.
The United States, known for its well-established educational infrastructure, comes third with 26,753 secondary schools, in addition to 14,615 “combined” schools that serve students across multiple grade levels.
India’s lead in the number of secondary schools speaks to the country’s efforts to provide education at scale, reaching millions of children across both urban and rural areas. However, challenges remain in terms of quality, infrastructure, and teacher training, which experts say must be addressed to ensure that the quantity of schools translates into high educational outcomes.
