Primary education - beginning of 2024/2025 school year and end of 2023/2024 school year

Start: In the 2024/2025 school year in the Republic of Serbia, primary education was provided in 1 131 regular primary schools, 46 school for children with developmental disabilities and 34 adult education schools. A total of 510 334 students attened classes, 500 732 in regular schools, 3 494 in schools for children with developmental disabilities, and 6 108 in schools that organize adult education programs.

A total of 252 383 students attended the first cycle of regular primary education (grades 1 - 4), of which slightly more boys (51.4%) compared to girls (48.6%), while the second cycle (grades 5 - 8) was attended by 248 349 students - 51.3% boys and 48.7% girls.

Teaching was carried out by a total of 52 174 teachers, most of whom (75.9%) were female teachers. The number of full-time teachers is 31 522, most of whom (60.4%) are full-time teachers.

End: At the end of the 2023/2024 school year in the Republic of Serbia, classes took place in 1 132 regular elementary schools. A total of 502 127 regular students attended classes. The number of students who completed the first cycle of primary education is 61 452 (grade 4), while 62 718 completed primary school (grade 8).

A total of 20 596 students, 10 966 under IEP 1 and 9 630 under IEP 2, attended classes according to the individual educational plan (IEP).

Methodology explanations

Data on primary education at the end of the 2023/2024 school year and the beginning of the 2024/2025 school year were obtained from the Ministry of Education's database – the Unified Education Information System (JISP). Since the beginning of the 2022/2023 school year, the Statistical Office of the Republic no longer conducts regular statistical surveys on primary education, where primary schools submitted statistical reports reflecting the situation at the beginning and end of the school year.

The data presented in this announcement refer to the ISCED 1 and ISCED 2 education levels according to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED 2011).

Primary school is an institution where the activity of primary education is performed. Its main duty is to provide good quality education and upbringing for every child and student, under the same conditions, regardless of where teaching is dispensed.

Primary school can function as complete (eight grades) and incomplete (less than eight grades). Students from the first and fourth grades attend general class teaching, and those from the fifth and eighth grades attend subject teaching.

A student with developmental disabilities and/or other disabilities acquires basic education and upbringing as a rule in school together with other students, and when it is in the best interest of the student in a school for students with developmental disabilities with accordance to the law.

Individual Education Plan (IEP) is a special document which plans the additional support in education for a particular child and pupil, and its goal is to achieve the optimal child development, inclusion in the peer group and the meeting of educational needs of the child and pupil.

 IEP 1 is an adjusted programme which plans the provision of support relating to the adjustment of the space and conditions in which learning takes place, the methods of work, textbooks and teaching aids, activities and their schedule, as well as persons who provide support.

 IEP 2 is a modified programme, which anticipates the adjustment of the general outcomes of education, the adjustment of the specific standards of a pupil’s attainment in relation to the prescribed ones, and the adapting of the contents for one subject or several or all subjects.

Since 1999, the Republic Statistical Office has not had data for the AP Kosovo and Metohija, so they are not included in the data coverage.