Hong Kong schools recorded a net increase of about 4,500 students for the past academic year, with an industry leader attributing the shift from past trends to the diminishing emigration waves and an influx of young dependants linked to the city’s talent trawl.
The city saw more than 80,000 pupils depart its schools between 2019-20 and 2022-23, amid social unrest and the Covid-19 pandemic.
The change in the trend came to light after the Education Bureau recently submitted enrolment figures to the Legislative Council. The data covered all government, aided, private, international and direct subsidy scheme schools as of September 2024.
The Post calculated the net increase by comparing the enrolment figures for Kindergarten One to Form Five in September 2023 with those from Kindergarten Two to Form Six a year later to determine the population change.
The tally excluded the 2023-24 Form Six students, who later left to pursue post-secondary education or find work.
The number of pupils enrolled in Hong Kong schools increased from about 741,000 to around 745,500.
