England's private schools have seen their pupil numbers plummet to the lowest level in at least a decade, according to new Government figures.
This marks the second consecutive year of decline, following the introduction of the Government's 20 per cent VAT policy on private school fees in January 2025.
The Department for Education (DfE) data reveals a significant drop of over 22,000 pupils in independent schools this January compared to the previous year.
This represents a 3.8 per cent decrease, with numbers falling from 582,477 in 2025 to 560,255.
The overall number of pupils across all schools in England, encompassing both state and private institutions, also continued its downward trend, dipping below nine million for the first time since 2020.
Furthermore, the DfE's statistics highlighted an ongoing increase in the percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals and the number of children identified as "young carers."
This is the lowest figure in at least 10 years.
Private school pupils now account for 6.3 per cent of the school population.
But there were 41 more independent schools at the beginning of this year compared with the last.
There were just over 8.9 million students in schools across England in January – 112,200 fewer than the same time last year.
The DfE said the fall was “primarily driven” by demographic changes “following a peak of births in 2012”.
A population bulge in England has been moving from primary schools into secondary schools.
School populations are expected to continue decreasing until 2030.
The percentage of pupils who are eligible for free school meals has increased to 26.5 per cent, up from 25.7 per cent last year, continuing an increasing trend which began in 2018.
It means more than than 2.2 million pupils were eligible for free school meals in January, up by 43,100.
The Government extended free school meal eligibility last year to include all pupils in England from families on universal credit.
All primary school children in London already receive free school meals, and Sir Sadiq Khan has pledged this will continue for as long as he is mayor.
The pledge may help to explain why London has seen the largest increase in the rate of free school meal eligibility out of the regions, up 1.3 per cent to almost a third of pupils (29.2 per cent).
Almost 90,000 pupils were identified as a “young carer” in January, increasing by more than 25,000 in a year.
These figures have been rising since data on them was first collected in the school census in 2022.
A young carer is a child under the age of 18 who provides or intends to provide care for another person, and the DfE said they “carry immense responsibility in providing care and support at home but their own needs may remain ‘hidden’ from wider view”.
