Pupils in primary school classes: record highs and lows
The extremes of pupils in primary school classes as published by Department for Education, across the 11 periods held here (2015/16 academic year to 2025/26 academic year). Each record is a published figure, not a computed one, and the scope is this series — not “ever”.
The latest figure, 3,974,132 in 2025/26 academic year, is the lowest in the whole published series of 11 periods. The rule: a period counts as beaten only when its figure is strictly above the latest, and the claim is only made when it reaches back at least five years.
Highest published
4,297,5702018/19 academic year
Lowest published
3,974,1322025/26 academic year
The full series
The chart as a table
| Period | Pupils in primary school classes |
|---|---|
| 2015/16 academic year | 4,193,180 pupils |
| 2016/17 academic year | 4,265,334 pupils |
| 2017/18 academic year | 4,290,659 pupils |
| 2018/19 academic year | 4,297,570 pupils |
| 2019/20 academic year | 4,272,738 pupils |
| 2020/21 academic year | 4,177,058 pupils |
| 2021/22 academic year | 4,169,888 pupils |
| 2022/23 academic year | 4,172,511 pupils |
| 2023/24 academic year | 4,133,588 pupils |
| 2024/25 academic year | 4,084,205 pupils |
| 2025/26 academic year | 3,974,132 pupils |
What a record here is, and is not
A record is the extreme of the periods this site holds for the current series, at each period’s newest published release. Earlier series measured under different methods are not compared against it. Money is in cash terms: a record set years ago stands against the money of its own year.