The consequences of war on education: the number of schoolchildren has fallen in 30 years

The full-scale war started by Russia has had a profound impact on Ukraine's education system. Mass displacement of the population, destruction of schools, psychological trauma, and technical difficulties have significantly affected graduates' participation in entrance exams and their access to higher education.

The study «Estimating the impact of the Russian invasion on the displacement of graduating high school students in Ukraine», based on a large data set on the results of the national multi-subject test, showed that in 2022, at least 78,000 high school graduates – 34% of the total – were directly affected by the war. Among them:

36,500 students became internally or externally displaced persons;

41,500 students did not take the entrance exam at all, which means a potential “exit” from the education system.

Most of the displaced students are from the south and east of the country, particularly from frontline regions. Approximately 64% of them have left the country, mainly to Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. Others have moved to western and central regions of Ukraine.

At the beginning of the 2024-2025 academic year, there were 3.74 million students in all forms of education in the Ukrainian education system. This is the lowest figure in the last 30 years. 

Currently, 9.3% of schoolchildren – approximately 345,000 children – study abroad and continue to study in the Ukrainian education system. This is a minimum estimate, as many children stop studying in Ukrainian schools after moving abroad.

According to a UNESCO survey, as of 2024, nearly 665,000 Ukrainian schoolchildren were studying abroad, but this figure is incomplete because it does not take into account all EU countries to which Ukrainians have emigrated.

At the same time, only 29% of these schoolchildren combine education in both countries, and another 16% rely exclusively on Ukrainian online education.

The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine provided statistics on the number of students in grades 8-12 in 2021-2025. The analysis showed that every year, 2-4% of students do not move on to the next grade and leave school. It is likely that some of them leave Ukraine.

Both boys and girls are leaving the country. In the upper grades, there is a slight predominance of girls (approximately 1-2%) each year, although among graduates, this difference can reach 10%.

According to the Ministry of Education and Science, more than 3,800 educational institutions have been damaged as a result of the war, almost 400 of which have been completely destroyed. Most schools near the front line have been forced to switch to distance learning, but this format is complicated by frequent alarms, power outages, and unstable internet.

International Department