Recently, multiple netizens have posted videos claiming that Shiqiao Primary School in Pudong New Area of Shanghai has only 22 students, but is equipped with 23 full-time teachers, resulting in a teacher-student ratio exceeding 1:1. The continuous decline in the population of mainland China has raised concerns.
Public data shows that Shiqiao Primary School in Pudong was founded in 1916 and is a public full-time primary school with a history of a century.
According to the “2025 Pudong New Area Compulsory Education School Enrollment Information Disclosure” released by the Pudong New Area Education Bureau in April, Shiqiao Primary School in Pudong New Area currently has 5 classes with a total of 22 students, averaging only 4-5 students per class, and 23 full-time teachers, resulting in a teacher-student ratio exceeding 1:1.
This news has surprised many netizens: this is a first-tier metropolis like Shanghai, not a remote mountain village. Has the birth rate become so severe in this city?
In response, staff from the Pudong New Area Education Admission Examination Center told reporters that schools must enroll students according to the designated enrollment districts. “The actual number of eligible students in the enrollment area of this school is only this many. Several communities in the school’s designated area have already been relocated.”
In recent years, the decreasing population of school-age children nationwide in China has led to a wave of school closures. According to official data, in 2024, approximately 7,200 ordinary primary schools and 21,100 kindergartens nationwide were closed. Specifically, in Jiangxi Province, as of the fall of 2024, 5,943 small rural schools with fewer than 100 students had been streamlined or merged.
Blogger “Lao Yang Weiguan” pointed out in an article that the direct cause of the wave of school closures is the continued decline in the birth rate. From the “Two-Child Policy” to the “Three-Child Policy,” despite the gradual relaxation of birth policies, there has not been a fundamental increase in the willingness to have more children.
“Lao Yang Weiguan” stated that the process of urbanization, along with the high cost of living, education, and changing values, has subtly altered people’s decisions on reproduction. This decline in birth rate is not only numeric but also a fundamental transformation of social structure. The traditional notion of “more children, more blessings” is being redefined by modern lifestyles, with the education system being one of the first areas to feel this change.