Official 2025/26 school and pupil counts published in April 2026.
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Education in Czechia
DATASchool statistics: 2025/26
School statistics: 2025/26 路 Compulsory basic education: 9 years
Czechia combines a nine-year compulsory basic-school pathway with detailed current school statistics. The Czech Statistical Office published 2025/26 counts in April 2026 for nursery, basic and secondary schools. Basic education normally runs through grades 1 to 9, divided into grades 1 to 5 and grades 6 to 9. Compulsory school attendance generally begins in the school year for children who reach age 6 by 31 August.
Czechia education snapshot
Czechia's 2025/26 statistics place nursery, basic and secondary school counts on the same reporting cycle, making the three school-level totals directly comparable.
Compulsory basic education
9 years
Basic-school pupils
1,002,916*
Secondary pupils
514,881*
Nursery children
347,798*
* Reference years and benchmark targets are labelled with the figures.
How the education pathway works
Nine years of basic education form the compulsory pathway, with grades 1 to 5 in the first stage and grades 6 to 9 in the second.
| Stage | When | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Preschool | Generally ages 3 to 6 | Nursery-school provision precedes basic education. Preschool becomes mandatory for children who reach age five by 31 August. |
| First stage of basic school | Grades 1 to 5 | The first stage covers the primary part of the nine-year basic-school pathway. |
| Second stage of basic school | Grades 6 to 9 | The second stage completes the standard nine years of compulsory basic education. |
| Secondary and further study | After compulsory education | Students can progress to secondary schools, conservatories, higher vocational education or universities. |
Key evidence
The 2025/26 series is published on a common reference date, making the school-level counts directly comparable within the national statistical release.
| Indicator or rule | Value | Reference | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nursery schools / children | 5,409 / 347,798 | 2025/26 | Czech Statistical Office |
| Basic schools / pupils | 4,320 / 1,002,916 | 2025/26 | Czech Statistical Office |
| Secondary schools / pupils | 1,328 / 514,881 | 2025/26 | Czech Statistical Office |
| Compulsory basic education | 9 years | Current system | Czech public administration portal |
* Reference years and benchmark targets are labelled with the figures.
Current counts line up with a clearly defined compulsory pathway
Czechia's basic-school system is straightforward to explain: nine years, normally grades 1 through 9, with the first five grades forming the primary stage and grades 6 through 9 the lower-secondary stage.
The April 2026 statistical release counted just over one million pupils in basic schools and 514,881 in secondary schools for 2025/26. Nursery-school enrolment was 347,798 children. Because all three figures come from the same release cycle, they can be compared without mixing reference years.
Frequently asked questions
How many years of compulsory basic education are there in Czechia?
Basic education lasts nine years and corresponds to nine years of compulsory school attendance.
How are the nine basic-school grades divided?
The first stage covers grades 1 to 5 and the second stage covers grades 6 to 9.
How many pupils were in Czech basic schools in 2025/26?
The Czech Statistical Office reported 1,002,916 pupils.
How many secondary-school pupils were recorded in Czechia in 2025/26?
The official count was 514,881 pupils.
Sources and methodology
The Czech Statistical Office supplies current school counts, while the public-administration portal is used for the compulsory basic-school structure.
Official explanation of nine-year compulsory basic education and grade structure.
Overview of preschool, basic and later education levels.
Methodology: Czech school counts on this page come from the same 2025/26 release cycle. Structural rules are kept separate from enrolment counts so an age or grade rule is not presented as a statistical measure.