Girls’ enrolment higher than boys in Delhi schools: Economic Survey

Girls’ enrolment in Delhi schools is higher than that of boys by eight to ten per cent at key levels, and more than ten percentage points above the national average, according to the Economic Survey of Delhi 2025-26.

At primary level, the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) for girls in Delhi is 107.2, compared to 97.4 for boys, taking the total to 101.8, much higher than the national average of 90.9, the Economic Survey said.

At upper primary level, the GER for girls stood at 122, compared to 113.1 for boys, much higher than the all-India figure of 90.3, it said.

The trend continues at other levels too. At elementary level, girls’ enrolment was recorded at 112.8, compared to 103.4 for boys.

At secondary level, enrolment of girls stood at 104.7, against 98 for boys. Even at higher secondary level, girls were ahead with 87.2 GER, compared to 78.7 for boys, according to the survey.

The Net Enrolment Ratio (NER), which shows how many children of the right age group are enrolled in school, also shows girls ahead of boys in Delhi, the report said.

At primary level, girls recorded 100 NER compared to 90.5 for boys, while the national figures were lower for both, it added.

At upper primary and elementary levels, girls in Delhi reached almost full enrolment, higher than that of boys and much higher than the national average, it stated, adding that at secondary level, girls recorded 82.5 NER compared to 72.5 for boys, while in higher secondary, girls stood at 68.8 against 58.8 for boys.

The survey also mentioned that school attendance in Delhi is better than the national average at all levels, based on data from the 75th National Sample Survey (NSS), it said.

On student performance, the report showed mixed results.

In Class 3, language performance in Delhi stood at 62 per cent, slightly lower than the national average of 64 per cent, while performance in mathematics was recorded 57 per cent, compared to 60 per cent nationally In Class 6, Delhi students performed better in language at 60 per cent, compared to 57 per cent nationally, but remained almost at par in mathematics at 47 per cent, it added.

Scores in environmental studies were slightly higher in Delhi at 51 per cent compared to 49 per cent for the country.

In Class 9, Delhi students performed better than the national average in most subjects. Performance in languages stood at 65 per cent compared to 54 per cent nationally, while that in mathematics stood at 40 per cent, compared to 37 per cent.

Performance in sciences and social science were also better in Delhi at 46 per cent and 44 per cent respectively, the survey said.

Overall, the survey shows that more girls are going to school in Delhi than boys, and the city is doing better than the national average in enrolment and attendance, while student performance shows steady results, the report stated.