A student holds a graduation cap during a graduation ceremony at Guui Middle School in Seoul, Jan. 8. The number of high school students in Seoul has dropped by nearly 4,000 over the past year amid Korea's persistently low birthrate, officials said on Friday. Yonhap

The number of high school students in Seoul has dropped by nearly 4,000 over the past year amid Korea's persistently low birthrate, officials said Friday.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, 45,846 students are expected to enroll in 210 regular high schools in the city in 2025, excluding those who will attend special-purpose institutions such as foreign language or vocational schools.

Last year, 49,826 students attended regular high schools in Seoul. The population of this group has declined for the second consecutive year, with no signs of reversing in the near future. In 2023, the figure was 53,761.

As a result, the average number of students per class will be 25.8, down from 26.5 in 2024. The number of overcrowded schools — defined as those with 28 or more students per class — will be reduced to 23, down from the current 47.

Officials said the country's low total fertility rate of just 0.74 has posed a challenge to maintaining a stable number of both students and teachers.

Incoming students must obtain the necessary enrollment documents from the education office or the middle schools they graduated from and submit them to their high schools between Feb. 3 and 4.