Derry performs well in national school performance index, but enrollment and retention gaps remain

Delhi has been ranked among the better performing states and union territories in the Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2025-26, reflecting strong performance on key school education indicators. However, the review also found declines in primary enrollment and retention in secondary schools, highlighting areas where targeted intervention is needed to sustain educational progress.

Delhi has ranked among the better-performing states and union territories in the country in the Union Education Ministry’s Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2025-26. The achievement reflects the capital’s strong performance on a number of education indicators. However, the latest assessment also raises concerns about falling enrollment rates for younger children and declining student retention in secondary schools.The findings indicate that while Delhi maintains a strong overall education system, important challenges remain that may impact learning outcomes in the coming years.

Derry listed among top performing bands

The Performance Rating Index is the Centre’s annual assessment of school education in states and union territories. It measures performance using 70 indicators covering areas such as learning outcomes, educational opportunities, school infrastructure, equity, governance and teacher education.Unlike traditional rankings, PGI classifies states and UTs into performance categories based on their scores. In 2025-26, Chandigarh became the only state or union territory to achieve the Uttam-3 category. Delhi has been included in the next band to perform along with Punjab, Kerala, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu. No state or union territory made it to the top three: Utkarsh, Uttam-1 or Uttam-2.The results show that despite facing challenges in student engagement, Delhi continues to perform strongly on several school education parameters.

Base enrollment declines

One of the biggest issues highlighted in the report is falling enrollment rates for the youngest learners. The Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) for the basic stage (covering pre-primary to level two) fell from 104.8 in the 2023-24 academic year to 102.8 in the 2024-25 academic year.The ministry advised Delhi to carefully examine class enrollment trends and make better use of data provided by the Poshan Tracker, which records children enrolled in Anganwadi centres. Officials believe this could help identify gaps before children enter formal schools.Strengthening enrollment in the foundation stage is considered vital, as early years education plays a key role in improving long-term learning outcomes.

Higher grades show improvement

Although enrollment in early childhood has declined, enrollment in higher education has increased. The GER for Preparatory Level (Level III-V) increased from 51 to 52.2. The GER for intermediate level (levels VI-VIII) has been significantly increased from 106.8 to 115. The GER for secondary schools (Classes IX-XII) also improved slightly, from 91 to 91.7.However, even after these improvements, the ministry suggested that Delhi should make more attempts to increase enrollment in basic and secondary education.

Secondary school retention remains a problem

The report also identifies significant challenges in keeping students in school later in their education. Delhi has achieved 100% retention rate in the foundation, preparatory and intermediate stages. However, the retention rate in secondary schools dropped to 86%.The ministry described the decline as an area requiring immediate attention. It recommends that authorities conduct detailed research into the reasons why students leave school during the transition to secondary education.The review also noted that state school enrollment has declined over the past three years, making student retention an important policy priority.

Four districts in Delhi perform best

District-level assessments bring encouraging signs for the capital. In the 2025-26 assessment, India has 19 districts that have achieved the Uttam-2 performance level, with four districts in Delhi topping the list.Overall, the ministry reported that 462 districts improved their scores compared to the previous year, but none reached the highest Utkarsh category.

data-driven assessment

The Performance Score Index draws information from several official education repositories including UDISE+, PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024, PM POSHAN Portal, PRABANDH and Vidyanjali.The Ministry of Education stated that the purpose of the grading structure is not to create competition through rankings, but to help states, central territories and school districts identify their strengths, compensate for their weaknesses, and improve the quality of school education through evidence-based planning.(Inputs from PTI)