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Aug 29, 2026
Foreign Pupils on the Rise in Czech Schools - Nearly One in Five in Prague
Prague Morning
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Of the nearly one million pupils attending Czech primary schools last academic year, almost 8% were foreign nationals, most commonly from Ukraine.
According to the Czech Statistical Office (CSO), Prague recorded the highest proportion, with foreign pupils making up 18% of all children in its primary schools.
Compulsory education is mandatory for Czech citizens as well as citizens of other European Union member states who reside in the Czech Republic for more than 90 days. The requirement also applies to foreign nationals with long-term residence permits.
Their children therefore have the same rights as Czech children, including access to free education, school meals and extracurricular activities.
The number of foreign pupils increased significantly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, nearly doubling that year. Their numbers have continued to rise ever since. Today, children from Ukraine account for 5% of all pupils in the Czech Republic.
The trend is similar in secondary schools, where the proportion of foreign pupils reached its highest level in the past 10 years, at almost 5% of the total.
Although the number of children in primary schools has remained relatively stable at just over one million in recent years, a sharp decline is expected in the coming years due to the falling birth rate, according to Vendula Kašparová of the CSO’s Social Development Statistics Department. The office said the birth rate has been falling continuously for the fifth consecutive year.
The decline is already visible at the kindergarten level. The number of children enrolled in kindergartens fell below 350,000 in the 2025/2026 academic year, the first time this has happened since 2013. Over the past three years, enrolment has dropped by more than 21,000 children, or around 5.8%.
Fewer Children Receiving Deferrals From Starting School
Kašparová identifies another clear trend: fewer children are being granted deferrals from starting compulsory school. Since the 2021/2022 academic year, the proportion of six-year-olds whose school entry was deferred has fallen from 24.1% in September 2021 to 17.7% in September 2025, representing just under 21,000 pupils.
Furthermore, an amendment to the Education Act is expected to reduce the number of deferrals even further. Under the new rules, deferrals will only be granted when justified by a medical condition that prevents a child from attending school.
This could include a serious medical condition following surgery, cancer treatment or a moderate intellectual disability.
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