Access to and Participation in Education in Romania

In Romania, only 75.2% of children and young people aged 3–23 were enrolled in some form of education during the 2024–2025 school year, according to data published by the Ministry of Education and Research and analyzed by Monitorul Social. Over the past five years, participation in education, as measured by the gross enrollment rate, has declined slightly at all levels of education.

Participation in quality education is essential for all students to acquire basic skills, have a better chance of earning a decent income and escaping poverty, and participate in civic and community life. At the same time, equitable access to education contributes to building more socially and economically cohesive and inclusive societies. One of the most persistent challenges facing the Romanian education system is the gap between rural and urban areas: the gross enrollment rate is consistently lower in rural areas, indicating significant inequalities in access to and participation in education.

The gross enrollment rate in education is calculated as the ratio of the number of preschoolers, elementary and secondary students, and university students to the population of the official age range corresponding to educational participation (ages 3–23). The analysis below focuses on participation in preschool education and at the primary, middle, and upper secondary levels (vocational school and high school).

Preschool Education: The First Step Toward School Participation

The gross enrollment rate in preschool education—calculated as the ratio of the number of preschoolers to the population in the 3–5 age cohort—was 86.3% in 2025, an increase over the past five years, driven by rising enrollment, particularly in urban areas. There are considerable differences depending on the area of residence: in urban areas, the enrollment rate is 98.4%, while in rural areas it is 74%. This may mask inequalities in access to preschool education, primarily associated with the distance to educational institutions. In rural areas, preschool institutions are concentrated primarily in the main villages of each commune, which can make access difficult for children from smaller or more isolated communities. The data also indicate lower enrollment rates among 3-year-olds (69.2%), particularly among 3-year-olds in rural areas (60.2%)

Participation in preschool education is of particular importance because it represents the first stage of institutional socialization and helps prepare children for formal education. In general, children who attend preschool achieve higher educational outcomes and higher levels of participation later on than those who do not receive preschool education. Consequently, unequal access to early childhood education can contribute to the emergence of disparities that subsequently widen throughout the educational trajectory.

Low Enrollment in Elementary and Middle School

The gross enrollment rate in primary education was 85.1% in 2025, a slight increase compared to 2024 and 2023, but below the levels seen in 2020 and 2021. Although education is compulsory, a substantial percentage of school-age students are not enrolled in the first level of the education system. This situation is significant not only because of its immediate effects but also because of its long-term consequences: failure to enroll in primary school can reduce the likelihood of continuing education.

The differences between urban and rural areas are, once again, very large. The gross enrollment rate is 98.5% in urban areas, compared to 71.5% in rural areas—the greatest disparity in the last five school years. The magnitude of this difference points to the need for a systematic analysis of how the school system serves rural communities and of the barriers that limit the participation of children from these communities.

The gross enrollment rate in lower secondary education was 80.7%, falling below the rate recorded in primary education. At the same time, this is the lowest value for this indicator in the past five years. Thus, as students progress from primary to lower secondary school and complete the four years of lower secondary education, school enrollment declines relative to the population of the age group corresponding to this educational level. At this level as well, the gap between urban and rural areas is significant: the gross enrollment rate is 96% in urban areas and 65.6% in rural areas. The difference of over 30 percentage points— the highest in the past 5 years, suggests that territorial inequalities (which must also be understood as economic and educational inequalities, given that rural areas have a higher proportion of people with lower levels of formal education and lower incomes) represent one of the main challenges for school enrollment in Romania.

The Transition to Upper Secondary Education

The gross enrollment rate in vocational and high school education was 78.6%, down from the 2021–2023 period. Although there are no data disaggregated by residential area, given that the school network providing upper secondary education is predominantly located in urban areas, we can expect difficulties in the transition from lower secondary to upper secondary education. Students in rural areas may face additional barriers to participation related to distance, transportation, costs, and the limited availability of educational options near their homes.

There are no major differences in enrollment rates by gender: 79.4% for girls and 77.8% for boys. However, the distribution by educational track differs: boys are overrepresented in vocational education, while girls are better represented in high school education.

Data on the gross enrollment rate highlight a structural problem in the Romanian education system. On the one hand, enrollment declines as students progress through the system, and on the other hand, there are very large disparities in enrollment between students in rural and urban areas. In this context, improving enrollment must be accompanied by explicit policies to reduce inequalities, such as making early childhood education more accessible, reorganizing the school network to meet the needs of rural communities, and ensuring or expanding school transportation.

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Data source:

• Ministry of Education and Research – Report on the State of Pre-University Education in Romania (2025). https://www.edu.ro/sites/default/files/_fișiere/Minister/2025/div/Rapoarte_sistem/RAport_Stare_invatamant_preuniversitar_2024-2025.pdf

Data processing and text drafting: Sebastian Țoc

Infographic: Pascalone Media SRL

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