KIGALI, Rwanda — Rwanda now operates 4,986 schools, up from 4,923 the previous year, according to a Ministry of Education report released in March 2025 covering the 2023/24 academic year.
Government-contracted schools account for 2,077 of the total, while 1,569 are government-owned and 1,340 are private.
By affiliation, government schools make up 31.5% of the system. Catholic Church schools represent 28%, Protestant schools 16.8%, and private institutions 15.1%. Parent associations run 6% of schools, with Seventh-day Adventist and Muslim schools making up 1.7% and 0.6% respectively.
Government-contracted schools account for 2,077 of the total, while 1,569 are government-owned and 1,340 are private.
By affiliation, government schools make up 31.5% of the system. Catholic Church schools represent 28%, Protestant schools 16.8%, and private institutions 15.1%. Parent associations run 6% of schools, with Seventh-day Adventist and Muslim schools making up 1.7% and 0.6% respectively.
More Classrooms, Bigger Classes
The number of classrooms increased to 86,780—adding 2,045 spaces in one year. Yet average class sizes grew from 50 students in 2022/23 to 52 in 2023/24.
Early primary grades face severe overcrowding. First-year classrooms average 76 students, second-year 66, and third-year 61.
UNESCO recommends 46 students per classroom for quality instruction. Only 43% of primary schools meet this standard. General secondary schools do better at 83%, while upper secondary schools reach 97% compliance.
Nearly half of schools—49.1%—now have girls’ dormitories, up 1.7 percentage points from the previous year. Sports facilities lag far behind: 41% of schools have football and volleyball fields, 15% have basketball courts, and just 0.1% have gymnasiums.
Enrollment Surges Across Levels
Almost 4.8 million students enrolled for 2023/24, a 7% jump from 4.46 million the year before. All students receive lunch at school, while upper-secondary students get three meals daily.
Early childhood and nursery enrollment topped 1.2 million, rising 14.4%. Nursery students increased 16.6% to 692,507, while early childhood development programs grew 11.9% to 605,229.
Primary school remains the largest segment with over 3 million students, up 5.9%. Upper-secondary enrollment (general and vocational) increased 1.45% to 196,384. TVET programs jumped 12.8% to 116,791, though female participation remains low.
Tertiary institutions enrolled 130,474 students, up from 119,716—a 9% gain. Adult literacy learners dropped 9.1% to 99,255.
High Attendance, Low Completion
Rwanda now mandates 12 years of education, though many students attend outside the official age range. Pre-primary participation reached 59.5%, up from 53.1%. For children aged 3-5, participation hit 44.7%, up from 39%.
Primary school attendance reached 148.2%—a figure exceeding 100% because it includes over-age and under-age students. Among children aged 6-11, the official primary age group, 95% attend.
Secondary attendance overall reached 48.6%, with 29.1% attending at the appropriate age. Tertiary participation rose from 8.6% to 9%.
However, completion rates tell a different story. Only 13.1% of students who started lower secondary finished upper secondary within 12 years. Primary completion improved to 42.7% from 37.5%.
Lower secondary dropout rates hit 65.1%. Repeaters accounted for 29.7%, while 5.2% left school entirely. Upper secondary non-attendance fell from 7.5% to 4.4%.
Teacher Numbers Rise, Training Lags
Rwanda employed 123,818 teachers in 2023/24, up 2.6% from the prior year.
Most teachers meet formal requirements: 99.8% in primary schools, 99.4% in pre-primary, 86.6% in upper secondary, and 80.3% in TVET programs.
Yet professional training remains inadequate. Only 52.7% of pre-primary teachers studied pedagogy, along with 67.2% in primary, 78% in upper secondary, and 25.7% in TVET.
This creates massive student-teacher ratios for trained staff. One trained pre-primary teacher handles 106 students on average. In primary schools, it’s 65 students per trained teacher. Upper secondary drops to 36, while qualified TVET instructors manage 77 students each.
Growing Pains
Rwanda aims to build a knowledge-based economy by 2050, positioning itself among wealthier nations. In 2000, the country had far fewer schools despite high demand.
Recent reforms targeted curriculum, teacher supply, and infrastructure. The numbers show progress—more schools, more classrooms, more students enrolled.
But the data also reveals strain. Overcrowded classrooms, especially in early grades, undermine teaching quality. High dropout rates and low completion figures suggest many students never finish their education. And the shortage of professionally trained teachers means even dedicated instructors struggle with oversized classes.
Whether Rwanda can maintain expansion while improving quality remains the central challenge as enrollment continues climbing.
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