The number of pupils in private schools in England has fallen to the lowest point in at least a decade, Government figures show.
It is the second consecutive year the number has dropped, after the Government’s policy to impose 20% VAT on private school fees was introduced in January 2025.
The overall number of pupils in schools in England – including state and private schools – continued to fall, dipping below the nine million mark for the first time since 2020.
The Department for Education (DfE) data also showed the percentage of pupils who are eligible for free school meals and the number of children who are “young carers” continued to rise.
There were more than 22,000 fewer pupils in independent schools in January compared with the same point last year.
The number has decreased by 3.8% – from 582,477 in 2025 to 560,255.
This is the lowest figure in at least 10 years.
Private school pupils now account for 6.3% of the school population.
But there were 41 more independent schools at the beginning of this year compared with the last.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “These figures reflect demographic change playing out across the entire school system – primary school numbers have been falling since 2018/19, long before any change to VAT. The share of pupils in independent schools has stayed broadly consistent at 6.3%, and more private schools opened than closed in 2025.
“Ending tax breaks for private schools is delivering over £1.8 billion a year by 2029/30 to improve education for the 94% of children in state schools, and record numbers of families are getting their first-choice state school place.”
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%, up from 25.7% 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% to almost a third of pupils (29.2%).
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”.