In 2025, local governments closed 148 public primary schools. As many as 123 of the closed schools had up to 70 pupils, and 146 of the closures concerned rural schools. Poland’s demographic collapse is becoming a reality. The Ministry of Education estimates that over the next 10 years, the number of students will decrease by more than one million.
According to data from the Central Statistical Office (GUS), the population at the end of December 2024 stood at 37.49 million, representing a decline of approximately 157,000 people compared to the previous year. In 2024, 252,000 children were born, over 20,000 fewer than a year earlier. This was the lowest number of births since the end of World War II. Preliminary GUS data indicate that the situation worsened further in 2025, with around 238,000 births.
In the Lublin region, 22 primary schools disappeared
Local governments are beginning to close schools that lack sufficient numbers of students. Data from the Ministry of Education, obtained by money.pl, show that the cuts most heavily affect small, local institutions, primarily those operating outside major cities.
The highest number of closures was recorded in the Lublin Voivodeship, where 22 primary schools disappeared from the educational map. It was followed by the Podkarpackie region with 18 closures and Lower Silesia with 15. Double-digit figures were also recorded in the following regions: Warmian-Masurian (12), Lubusz and Mazovian (11 each), and Lesser Poland (10).
According to GUS forecasts, the number of children aged 7-14 in Poland will decrease by about 5% by 2029 and by approximately 19.5% by 2034. By 2060, the decline could reach around 30%, and in a worst-case scenario, even 48.3%.
“In many regions of the country, the question of the future of small schools is simultaneously a question of how, under conditions of depopulation, to organize cooperation between municipalities and ensure residents access to basic public services,”
comments Dr. Piotr Mikiewicz, professor at the University of Lower Silesia DSW, for money.pl.
Amendment to the Education System Act
An amendment to the Education System Act is awaiting the signature of President Karol Nawrocki. As emphasized by the Ministry of Education, the changes make it possible to better adapt the network of public schools to demographic changes, for example, by allowing school buildings to be used for the needs of the local community.