Sharp Decline in School-Age Population Triggers Mergers of Multiple Primary Schools in Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Education Bureau announced on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, that up to 15 primary schools will not be permitted to open Primary One classes in the upcoming academic year due to enrollment falling below the required threshold of 16 students.

Affected schools may choose to merge or cease operations by the end of April. The Bureau has also introduced optimized measures: if a merged school fails to meet the enrollment threshold within three years, it will be granted a one-time opportunity to unconditionally continue participating in the Central Allocation process.

Christina Choi, Secretary for Education of Hong Kong, stated that the number of school-age children is projected to undergo a structural and sharp decline—from approximately 47,000 in the current academic year to around 38,000 by the 2035 academic year. She emphasized that with the sustained decrease in the school-age population, previous soft-landing measures have been exhausted, leaving "no room for further retreat," and underscored the necessity of adopting a more proactive approach to address the demographic challenge.