Pre-Primary, Primary and Secondary Formal Education: 2023-2024
- A total of 60,197 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 (31,195 students or 51.8 per cent).
- State-run institutions accounted for 59.6 per cent of total enrolments.
- The Northern Harbour District topped the list of districts in which pre-primary to secondary students resided (26.5 per cent).
- Foreigners accounted for 17.4 per cent of the total students enrolled from pre-primary to secondary education.
Pre-Primary, Primary and Secondary Formal Education: 2023-2024
Pre-Primary, Primary and Secondary Formal Education: 2023-2024
The majority of the 60,197 students enrolled in pre-primary, primary, and secondary education were male (51.8 per cent) (Chart 2). During academic year 2023-2024, 45.5 per cent of the students enrolled were aged between 5 and 10 years, while 38.1 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
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 2023-2024
1 Includes students attending pre-primary (excluding childcare), primary and secondary education only.
Note: Percentage may not add up due to rounding.
State-run institutions accounted for 59.6 per cent of total enrolments, while 26.7 per cent attended church-run institutions. Students enrolled in independent schools accounted for 13.7 per cent of total enrolments at these levels. Total students enrolled in mandatory education during 2023-2024 stood at 50,645. Of these, 54.4 per cent attended primary school, while the remaining 45.6 per cent attended secondary school. When compared to academic year 2022-2023, students increased by 0.7 per cent and 2.3 per cent in primary and secondary schools respectively (Table 3 and Chart 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. The highest average class size of primary education was recorded in Year 6 with an average of 19.1 students per class. Furthermore, in secondary education, Year 8 recorded the highest average of 19.8 students per class (Table 4).
Chart 3. Number of students enrolled in mandatory education by type of school and class level
Academic year 2023-2024
The district hosting the largest number of school levels in 2023-2024 was the Northern Harbour District (33.7 per cent), followed by the Southern Harbour District (19.8 per cent) (Table 5).
In parallel, the majority of students attended schools located in the Northern Harbour District (37.6 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 7.3 per cent (Table 6 and Map 1).
Map 1. Number of students¹ enrolled by locality of school: academic year 2023-2024
1 Includes students attending pre-primary (excluding childcare), primary and secondary education only.
More than a quarter of enrolled students resided in the Northern Harbour District (26.5 per cent) while 19.8 per cent of students resided in the Northern District (Table 7 and Map 2).
Map 2. Number of students¹ enrolled by locality of students' residence: academic year 2023-2024
1 Includes students attending pre-primary (excluding childcare), primary and secondary education only.
When looking at the dynamics of commuting from residence to school, more than two-thirds of all enrolled students attended schools within the same district of residence (69.0 per cent). Conversely, 31.0 per cent of students attended schools outside their district of residence (Chart 4).
Chart 4. Distribution of students¹ enrolled in pre-primary, primary and secondary formal education by district mobility for educational purposes
Academic year 2023-2024
¹ Includes students attending pre-primary (excluding childcare), primary and secondary education only.
The number of non-Maltese students enrolled in pre-primary to secondary education during 2023-2024, increased by 8.3 per cent when compared to the previous academic year. The majority of non-Maltese students attended either State-run or private institutions. Nearly one in every four students enrolled with private institutions were non-Maltese (24.8 per cent), while in State-run institutions 23.1 per cent of students enrolled were non-Maltese.
The absolute majority of students enrolled in Church-run institutions were Maltese (99.2 per cent). 65.6 per cent of non-Maltese students enrolled in pre-primary to secondary education during 2023-2024 were third-country nationals (Tables 8 and 9).
When examining the foreign languages studied at secondary level, Italian was the most popular language, with more than half of the students learning it (53.3 per cent). Fewer than a quarter of students studied French (23.5 per cent), while 16.1 per cent studied Spanish and 12.2 per cent studied German. Additionally, there was an increase of 8.5 per cent of students learning Spanish when compared to the previous academic year.
When comparing language uptake by sex, the largest disparity between the sexes can be seen in the French language, where during this academic year, 29.8 per cent of female secondary school students took up the French language, whilst 17.6 per cent of male secondary students studied French, a difference of 12.2 percentage points (Table 10 and Chart 5).
Chart 5. Secondary students¹ by foreign language² studied and academic year
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.
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 (31st 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. Definitions:
● Age is calculated as at 1st January of the reference academic year. For example, for academic year 2023-2024, age is calculated as at 1st January 2024.
● Class refers to a group of students who are physically following a common course of study in the same space.
● Educational levels refer to an ordered set grouping education programmes in relation to gradations of learning experiences, as well as the knowledge, skills and competencies which each programme is designed to impart. The ISCED level reflects the degree of complexity and specialisation of the content of an education programme, from foundational to complex.
● 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.
● General education refers to 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.
● 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.
● School levels refer to the stages of learning within the education system from pre-primary to secondary education. The number of school levels refer to the number of educational institutions for each level of education.
9. Totals/percentages may not add up due to rounding.
10. The data contained in this release may be revised.
11. More information relating to this release may be accessed at:
Metadata
ISCED Classification
LAU Classification
District Classification
12. European statistics related to students are available here.
13. A detailed news release calendar is available online.
14. References to this news release are to be cited appropriately. For guidance on access and re-use of data please visit our dedicated webpage.
15. For further assistance send your request through our online request form.
