**Summary of Comprehensive Modular Survey: Education, 2025**
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI) released the results of the Comprehensive Modular Survey (CMS) on Education for April-June 2025. This survey, part of the 80th round of the National Sample Survey (NSS), examined household expenditure on school education for currently enrolled students. Data was collected from 52,085 households and 57,742 students across India using Computer-Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI).
Key findings include:
* **Enrollment:** Government schools account for 55.9% of total enrollments nationwide, with a higher proportion in rural areas (66.0%) compared to urban areas (30.1%). Private unaided recognized schools account for 31.9% of enrollment nationwide.
* **Course Fees:** Only 26.7% of students in government schools reported paying course fees, compared to 95.7% in non-government schools. In private unaided schools in urban areas, 98.0% of students reported paying course fees. In rural areas, 25.3% of students reported paying course fees in Government schools.
* **Expenditure:** The average per-student expenditure by households on school education in government schools was estimated at ₹2,863, significantly lower than the ₹25,002 in non-government schools. Course fees represent the largest education expense, averaging ₹7,111 per student nationally, followed by textbooks and stationery at ₹2,002. Urban households spend considerably more on education across all categories. The average expenditure on course fees in urban areas was ₹15,143, compared to ₹3,979 in rural areas.
* **Private Coaching:** Approximately 27.0% of all students were taking or had taken private coaching during the academic year, with higher prevalence in urban areas (30.7%) than in rural areas (25.5%). Average annual household expenditure on private coaching per student was ₹3,988 in urban areas and ₹1,793 in rural areas. Coaching costs rise with each education level, from ₹525 for pre-primary to ₹6,384 for higher secondary.
* **Funding Sources:** 95% of students reported that other household members were the primary source of funding for school education. Government scholarships were the first major source of funding for 1.2% of students.
**Important Considerations:**
The most recent comprehensive education survey prior to this was the 75th Round (July 2017 – June 2018). Due to methodological differences (specifically, the classification of anganwadi centers and the inclusion of private coaching expenses), the findings are not directly comparable with the current CMS: Education results. The CMS: E classifies anganwadis within the pre-primary category and collected and presented spending on school education and private coaching separately.
Users should exercise caution when interpreting state-level estimates due to sample size considerations and associated Relative Standard Errors (RSE). Survey-based estimated totals were used exclusively for calculating rates and ratios and should not be used for absolute population-level counts or extrapolation.
The full report is available on the Ministry's website: http://www.mospi.gov.in. Release ID: 2160863.
Key Entities Referenced
Comprehensive Modular Survey: Education: A survey conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation focusing on household expenditure for students in school education.
National Sample Survey: The survey program under which the CMS Education survey was conducted.
India: The country in which the survey was conducted.
Government schools: Schools funded and operated by the government of India.
Private unaided schools: Privately run schools that do not receive government funding.
Ministry of Statistics Programme Implementation: The government ministry responsible for conducting the Comprehensive Modular Survey: Education.
Delhi: Location where the press release was posted by PIB.
SamratAllen: Person listed in release id
Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation
Results of Comprehensive Modular Survey:
Education, 2025 (April – June, 2025)
Posted On: 26 AUG 2025 4:00PM by PIB Delhi
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The CMS Education survey, part of the 80 round of the National Sample Survey (NSS), focused specifically
on household expenditure for currently enrolled students in school education. Data was collected from 52,085
households and 57,742 students across India using Computer-Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI). The
survey’s design and methodology are detailed in the full report.
Key highlights:
Dominant enrolment in Government schools:
(cid:108)
Government schools play a pivotal role in providing education across India, accounting for 55.9% of total
enrolments. It is higher in rural areas, where two-thirds (66.0%) of students are enrolled, in comparison to
urban areas (30.1%). The Private unaided (recognized) schools account for 31.9% of enrolment
nationwide.
Very few students need to pay course fees in Government schools:
(cid:108)
Only 26.7% of students enrolled in government schools reported paying course fees, in contrast to 95.7%
of students in non-government schools. Among different types of non-government schools, 98.0%
students reported paying course fees in private unaided schools in urban areas. In rural areas, 25.3% of
students reported paying course fees in Government schools.Significantly low per-student expenditure in Government schools made by households:
(cid:108)
The average per student expenditure made by households on school education during the current
academic year in government schools was estimated at ₹2,863, while it was significantly higher (₹25,002)
in non-government schools.
Course fees emerges as the largest education expense made by households for education of children
(cid:108)
Across all types of schools, the highest average expenditure per student during the current academic year
was on course fees (₹7,111), followed by textbooks and stationery (₹2,002) at the all-India level. The
urban households paying significantly more across all categories. Notably, the average expenditure on
course fees in urban areas was estimated at ₹15,143, whereas it was estimates at ₹3,979 in rural areas.
This trend of higher expenditure in urban areas also evident for other types of education related expenses
like transportation, uniforms, and textbooks.Prevalence of private coaching:
(cid:108)
Nearly a third of all students (27.0%) were taking or had taken private coaching during the current
academic year. This trend was more common in urban areas (30.7%) than in rural areas (25.5%).
Urban households spend more on private coaching than rural households
(cid:108)
Average annual household expenditure on private coaching per student in urban areas (₹3,988) was
higher than that in rural areas (₹1,793). This difference increases with level of education. In urban areas,
average spending on private coaching at the higher secondary level (₹9,950) is significantly higher than
in rural areas (₹4,548). Nationally, coaching costs rises with each education level, from ₹525 for pre-
primary to ₹6,384 for higher secondary.Family funding is the main source for school education finance
(cid:108)
Among the students who made expenditure for school education, 95% students in India reported that the
first major source of their funding was from other household members. This trend is consistent across
both rural (95.3%) and urban (94.4%) areas. In India, 1.2 % students reported that Government
scholarships was their first major source of funding for school education.
Source of funding (first major source) Rural Urban Rural+Urban
Funded by other members of the household 95.3 94.4 95.0
Funded by erstwhile household member 2.5 2.2 2.4
Scholarships from Government 1.4 0.9 1.2
Others 0.8 2.5 1.4
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The primary objective of the CMS: E was to generate national-level estimates of average expenditure on
school education and private coaching during the current academic year. The state-level estimates based on
the available sample observations have also been generated and presented in this report. Therefore, users
should interpret the survey results at the sub-national level with careful consideration of the associated sample
size in the domain and Relative Standard Error (RSE).
It is also important to note that the survey-based estimated totals were used exclusively for calculating rates
and ratios. These totals are not intended to serve as definitive population-level counts. Therefore, using these
totals to directly interpret the estimates in absolute terms or for extrapolation may lead to misleading
conclusions and is not recommended. Users of the data are requested to interpret the findings with due
consideration of these statistical limitations.
The report of the Comprehensive Modular Survey: Education is available on the Ministry’s website
(http://www.mospi.gov.in).
****
Samrat/Allen
(Release ID: 2160863)