The UDISE 2025-26 report on Rajasthan's school education system shows that keeping students in school from the primary to the secondary stage remains the state's biggest challenge, even as basic facilities have improved. Of every 100 children who enrol in Class 1 in Rajasthan, only 51.8 reach Class 12 — meaning 48.2% leave school before completing Class 12.

Retention weakens steadily as children move up the ladder. It stands at 93.2% at the Class 1-2 stage, 82.5% in Classes 3-5 and 77% in Classes 6-8, but falls to 51.8% at the secondary stage (Classes 9-12), which the report flags as the sharpest area of concern.

Enrolment is also shrinking. Total school enrolment in Rajasthan fell from 1.67 crore in 2023-24 to 1.63 crore in 2024-25 and 1.59 crore in 2025-26 — a decline of roughly 8.4 lakh students in two years. Within this, 47.56% of students (74.5 lakh) study in government schools and 51.65% (83.8 lakh) in private schools.

Infrastructure, by contrast, has improved markedly: 99.2% of schools have drinking water, 92.24% have electricity and 94.2% have toilets for girls. Physical facilities alone, therefore, have not translated into children staying in school.

Educationist Kulbhushan Kothari attributes the drop-out problem largely to weak learning quality in government schools, noting that economically weaker parents often do not see the expected returns from schooling and put children to work, and that many students are shifting towards skill-based, employment-oriented courses — so education and curriculum need to be linked to employment. Educationist and social activist Vijay Goyal points to the growing shift from government schooling towards private schools as another factor affecting enrolment.