Current basic-school pupil, school and teacher counts.
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Education in Croatia
DATALatest school counts: 2025/26
Latest school counts: 2025/26 路 Higher study completions: 2025
Croatia's education profile is anchored in the eight-year compulsory basic-school pathway and the latest national school statistics. The newest releases cover the 2025/26 school year, while higher-education completion uses calendar-year 2025 data. Primary and lower secondary education are organised as an eight-year basic-school programme, with compulsory education generally covering ages 6 to 15. Croatia's statistics office published fresh basic and upper secondary school releases in June 2026.
Croatia education snapshot
Croatia's latest releases allow the compulsory basic-school pathway, upper secondary participation and higher-study completions to be dated separately instead of blended into one figure.
Compulsory basic education
8 years
Basic-school pupils
291,355*
Upper secondary students
150,753*
Study completions
31,435*
* Reference years and benchmark targets are labelled with the figures.
How the education pathway works
The eight-year basic-school programme is the compulsory core. After it, students move into several upper secondary programme types before higher education.
| Stage | When | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Basic school | Ages 6 to 15 | Eight years covering primary and lower secondary education. This is the compulsory core of the school pathway. |
| Upper secondary | After basic school | Students can continue through grammar, technical, industrial, crafts and art programmes. |
| Higher education | Post-secondary | Universities, faculties, polytechnics, professional higher-education schools and art academies form the higher-education landscape. |
Key evidence
The 2026 national releases give a current picture of school participation without mixing school-year counts with higher-education completion data.
| Indicator or rule | Value | Reference | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular basic-school pupils | 291,355 | 2025/26 | Croatian Bureau of Statistics |
| Upper secondary students | 150,753 | 2025/26 | Croatian Bureau of Statistics |
| Upper secondary school units | 775 | 2025/26 | Croatian Bureau of Statistics |
| Completed university or professional study | 31,435 | 2025 | Croatian Bureau of Statistics |
* Reference years and benchmark targets are labelled with the figures.
A compact compulsory pathway with current national counts
Croatia's eight-year basic-school structure gives the page a clear compulsory core. The latest national release counted 291,355 pupils in regular basic schools at the beginning of 2025/26.
Upper secondary education is sizeable and differentiated. The same statistical cycle recorded 150,753 students across upper secondary schools, while a separate 2026 release reported 31,435 people completing university or professional study during 2025. Keeping those reference periods separate avoids turning unlike measures into one headline trend.
Frequently asked questions
How long is compulsory basic education in Croatia?
The basic-school pathway lasts eight years and is compulsory, generally covering ages 6 to 15.
How many pupils were in Croatia's regular basic schools in 2025/26?
The Croatian Bureau of Statistics reported 291,355 pupils at the beginning of the 2025/26 school year.
How many upper secondary students were recorded in Croatia in 2025/26?
The national statistics release reported 150,753 upper secondary students.
How many people completed university or professional study in Croatia in 2025?
A total of 31,435 students completed university or professional study in 2025.
Sources and methodology
Croatian government guidance establishes the school structure; DZS supplies the current school and study-completion counts.
Current upper secondary student and school counts.
University and professional study completions in calendar year 2025.
National description of compulsory primary and lower secondary education.
Methodology: Croatia's school-year counts and calendar-year study completions are kept in separate reference periods. A national total is included only when the cited Croatian source defines and reports it.