New academic year in Kazakhstan: Nearly 4 mln pupils return to school

There are nearly 8,000 schools throughout Kazakhstan. Over 380,000 first graders begin school this year.

Of which 296,000 are set to study in public schools and another 23,000 in private schools.

191,000 children will start school in the cities and some 128,000 in rural areas.

This year there are more than 50,000 first graders in Turkistan region, over 35,000 in Almaty region, about 33,000 in Astana, more than 31,000 in Almaty and over 29,000 in Shymkent.

Nearly 4,000 children with special educational needs have been enrolled countrywide.

Safety measures are strengthened in schools since child safety is a top priority.

7,656 schools are equipped with 283,000 surveillance cameras, 7,159 schools are connected to police monitoring centers for rapid response.

258 pedestrian crossings were installed, and 1,429 speed bumps were added to raise road safety.

4,854 road signs, 10 km of fencing, and 1,897 lighting units were set up near schools.

According to the National Statistics Bureau, Kazakhstan now has 8,048 schools, a 1.6% increase compared to last year.

From January to July 2026, 32 new schools were opened, providing 18,090 student places. Of which 14 opened their doors in rural areas.

Since 2020, over 1,200 schools have been built, more than 1 million new student places have been created and the number of three-shift schools has been reduced fourfold.

101 more schools will be built in 2026–2027 with capacity for 59,300 students, funded by state and local budgets and private investment.

As written before, from 2019 to 2025, funding for Kazakhstan’s education sector increased more than threefold, with 65.9% of the total allocated to teachers’ salaries.