Pre-Primary, Primary and Secondary Formal Education: 2022-2023
- A total of 59,491 students were enrolled in pre-primary, primary and secondary education.
- The majority of students enrolled in pre-primary, primary and secondary education comprised of male students (30,902 students or 51.9 per cent).
- State-run institutions accounted for 59.4 per cent of total enrolments.
- The Northern Harbour District topped the list of districts in which pre-primary to secondary students resided (26.8 per cent).
- Total foreigners accounted for 16.2 per cent of the total students enrolled from pre-primary to secondary education.
Pre-Primary, Primary and Secondary Formal Education: 2022-2023
Pre-Primary, Primary and Secondary Formal Education: 2022-2023
The majority of the 59,491 students enrolled in pre-primary, primary, and secondary education were male (51.9 per cent). During academic year 2022-2023, 45.8 per cent of the students enrolled were aged between 5 and 10 years, while 37.6 per cent of students were aged between 11-15 years (Table 1, Charts 1 and 2).
Chart 1. Number of students¹ enrolled in pre-primary, primary and secondary formal education by academic year and sex
No Data Found
1 Includes students attending pre-primary (excluding childcare), primary and secondary education only.
Chart 2. Percentage distribution of students¹ enrolled in pre-primary, primary and secondary formal education by sex and age-group
academic year 2022-2023
Note: Percentage may not add up due to rounding.
State-run institutions accounted for 59.4 per cent of total enrolments, while 26.9 per cent attended church-run institutions. Students enrolled in independent schools accounted for 13.7 per cent of total enrolments at these levels (Table 3 and Chart 3).
Total students enrolled in mandatory education during 2022-2023 stood at 49,916. Of these, 54.8 per cent attended primary school, while the remaining 45.2 per cent attended secondary school. When compared to academic year 2021-2022, students increased by 1.1 per cent and 2.7 per cent in primary and secondary schools respectively (Table 3). The average class size for all schools at the primary level was 18.6 students per class, and 19.2 students per class at secondary level. When analysing class size by type of school, the lowest class sizes at both primary and secondary levels were seen in State schools, while church schools held the highest average class sizes at both levels (Table 4).
Chart 3. Number of students enrolled in mandatory education by type of school and class level
academic year 2022-2023
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The district hosting the largest number of school levels in 2022-2023 was the Northern Harbour District (34.0 per cent), followed by the Southern Harbour District (18.9 per cent) (Table 5). In parallel, the majority of students attended schools located in the Northern Harbour District (37.7 per cent), followed by the Southern Harbour District (16.6 per cent). The district hosting the smallest share of enrolled students was the district of Gozo and Comino with 7.1 per cent (Table 6 and Map 1). More than a quarter of enrolled students resided in the Northern Harbour District (26.8 per cent) while 19.4 per cent of students resided in the Northern District (Table 7 and Map 2). When looking at dynamics of commuting from residence to school, more than two-thirds of all enrolled students attended schools within the same district of residence (68.9 per cent). Conversely, 31.1 per cent of students attended schools outside their district of residence (Chart 4).
Chart 4. Distribution of students enrolled in pre-primary, primary and secondary formal education by district mobility for educational purposes
academic year 2022-2023
No Data Found
The number of non-Maltese students enrolled in pre-primary to secondary education during 2022-2023, increased by 15.6 per cent when compared to the previous academic year. The majority of non-Maltese students attended either State-run or private institutions. One in every 4 students enrolled with private institutions were non-Maltese (25.0 per cent), while in State-run institutions 21.1 per cent of students enrolled were non-Maltese. The absolute majority of students enrolled in Church-run institutions were Maltese (99.0 per cent) (Table 8). 63.5 per cent of non-Maltese students enrolled in pre-primary to secondary education during 2022-2023 were third-country nationals (Table 9).
Chart 5. Secondary students¹ by foreign language² studied and academic year
No Data Found
1 Includes only students enrolled in Year 7 to Year 11.
2 Excludes Maltese and English (official languages).
Note: Totals do not add up to the total number of secondary level students since students may be studying more than one language or none at all.
When examining foreign languages studied at secondary level, Italian was the most popular language, with over half of the secondary level students learning it (54.5 per cent). Fewer than a quarter of the students studied French (24.3 per cent), while 15.2 per cent studied Spanish and 12.4 per cent studied German (Table 10, Chart 5).
Tables
Tables
Methodological Notes
1. Education statistics presented in this news release are processed by the National Statistics Office (NSO) on an annual basis in accordance with European Regulations (EC) 452/2008 and (EU) 912/2013. These regulations establish the basis of information to be collected from educational institutions at all levels of education and all types of institutions. By adhering to these regulations, all education statistics collected and processed by the NSO are comparable to other European countries following the same regulatory standards.
2. Data collection is carried out during April of each year. The reference period for the information provided is the end of March of the reference academic year.
3. All information required for State administered educational institutions is obtained from register data provided directly from the Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation (MEYR). Questionnaires to pre-primary, primary and secondary non-State educational institutions are sent via email. All incoming questionnaires are processed through a custom-made computer software.
4. Students enrolled in pre-primary (excluding childcare), primary and secondary education are included in this news release. Figures include students enrolled in State, church and private institutions, unless otherwise specified.
5. Figures include students who attend special schools. Special schools are resource centres to support the inclusion of students with individual needs in all mainstream schools in Malta and Gozo.
6. Education Statistics data is provided by NSO to Eurostat on an annual basis in a dedicated questionnaire.
7. Average class size is calculated as follows:
8. Owing to the UK’s exit from the European Union (with effect from 1 February 2020), UK data is statistically classified as non-EU from academic year 2019-2020 in the tables relating to citizenship. Comparability between periods should be treated with caution.
9. Definitions:
● Formal education is an institutionalised, intentional and planned type of education which is provided by public organisations and recognised private bodies. It consists primarily of initial education designed for children and young people before their first entry to the labour market. It also includes other types of education such as vocational, special needs and adult education provided they are recognised as part of the formal education system by the relevant national education authorities.
● Mandatory education in Malta is compulsory for all children and youths aged from five (5) to fifteen (15) years, both year inclusive, as defined in Chapter 605 of the Laws of Malta (The Education Act). Compulsory education covers six years of primary education followed by five years of secondary education.
● Class refers to a group of students who are physically following a common course of study in the same space.
● Age is calculated as at 1st January of the reference academic year. For example, for academic year 2022-2023, age is calculated as at 1st January 2023.
● General education: Programmes that are designed to develop learners’ general knowledge, skills and competencies, as well as literacy and numeracy skills, often to prepare students for more advanced education programmes at the same or higher ISCED levels and to lay the foundation for lifelong learning.
● Locality of school refers to the locality where the physical campus is registered.
● Locality of residence refers to the locality where the student is recorded to reside.
● Languages studied include foreign languages studied, excluding Maltese and English. Students may study more than one foreign language, or no foreign language at all.
10. Totals/percentages may not add up due to rounding.
11. The data contained in this release may be revised.
12. References to this news release are to be cited appropriately. For guidance on access and re-use of data please visit our dedicated webpage.
13. More information relating to this release may be accessed at:
Metadata
ISCED Classification
LAU Classification
District Classification
14. European statistics related to students are available here.
15. For further assistance send your request through our online request form.
16. A detailed news release calendar is available online.
Maps
Map 1. Number of students enrolled by locality of school: academic year 2022-2023
Map 2. Number of students enrolled by locality of students' residence: academic year 2022-2023
Note: Includes students attending pre-primary (excluding childcare), primary and secondary education only.
