Over 700 schools, representing more than 5% of all schools in Greece, are being suspended for the 2025–2026 academic year due to rapidly declining student numbers, marking a deepening demographic emergency, the Education Ministry has confirmed.
The shutdowns span from remote rural areas and islands to urban centers, including Athens and its surrounding region, Attica, where 77 institutions—chiefly kindergartens—will remain closed.
The decline in school enrolment is stark: primary-level student numbers have fallen by 111,000, a 19% drop since 2018, reflecting a steep fall in births.
“The state of our classrooms mirrors the state of our maternity wards,” said Education Minister Sofia Zacharaki, warning of a “collapse in demographics” as fewer children are born and emigration of young adults persists.
Under Greece’s education law, schools that fail to meet the minimum requirement of 15 pupils are suspended, and those with low numbers for three straight years face permanent closure. However, exemptions are made for strategic border and island regions, where schools may remain open even with fewer students.
