Enrolment at international and private schools in Hong Kong has risen for the third year in a row, thanks to a government talent scheme launched in 2022. This increase is occurring even as the overall student population in the city has decreased, according to official data.
Recent statistics from the Education Bureau indicate that kindergartens and local public primary schools have experienced the most significant decline, with a record 30 preschools – representing 3 per cent of all kindergartens – having shut down or scheduled to close during this academic year.
A veteran admissions consultant said the talent schemes introduced in 2022 had brought a significant inflow of mainland Chinese families, many of whom enrolled their children in private and international schools.
The bureau’s annual headcount statistics, collected every September at the start of the academic year and released the following July, showed that 87,220 students were currently enrolled in international and private schools, marking a 12 per cent increase from September 2022, just before the launch of the Top Talent Pass Scheme.
Compared with a decade ago, enrolment in these institutions has jumped by 21 per cent, even though the total number of kindergarten, primary and secondary students in Hong Kong dropped from 797,157 in 2022 to 776,888 in 2025 – a 2.5 per cent decline over the three years.
“The steady growth in international and other private school students reflects mainland professionals and their dependants settling in Hong Kong. It also reflects a persistent demand from affluent local families opting out of the local curriculum,” said Ruth Benny, a veteran consultant for international school admissions in Hong Kong and Asia.
Asked why professionals from these schemes did not choose the local public system for their children, Benny said that they preferred a modern teaching approach without Cantonese-medium instruction and had the financial means to afford private education.
However, competition for places remains stiff among the children of talent scheme professionals, around 90 per cent of whom are from the mainland.
Many students were turned down because of their lack of English proficiency, even as their parents had “unrealistic expectations” of getting them enrolled in top international schools, Benny said.
“The number of applicants has skyrocketed. Some schools have said they will now be selective about whom they invite for interviews … some families do buy debentures, but that doesn’t guarantee entry.”
Students who failed to gain admission to their preferred institutions were often placed in second-tier private schools, she added.
Semi-private institutions operating under the Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) also recorded a significant recovery over the past three years, rebounding from enrolment dips in 2021 and 2022 caused by an emigration wave. There are 21 primary schools and 57 secondary schools under the scheme.
In 2025, DSS school enrolment grew for a third consecutive year to 65,984 students, up 11 per cent compared with 2022.
Conversely, the public education sector experienced a distinct two-tier divide: primary school enrolment plummeted while secondary school enrolment increased.
The public primary system, comprising government and aided schools, has been on a steady downward trajectory since 2019, with no signs of recovery, and enrolment has fallen by around 20 per cent overall.
Even after the launch of the Top Talent Pass Scheme, public primary student numbers failed to rebound, sliding further from 266,650 in 2022 to 246,849 in 2025, a 7 per cent drop over three years.
By comparison, after reaching a low point of 249,478 students in 2022, secondary enrolment recovered following the implementation of the talent scheme.
Numbers rose for three consecutive years to reach 263,631 in 2025, marking a 5.7 per cent gain over the three-year period.
Launched in December 2022, the Top Talent Pass Scheme provides fast track visas for high earners and graduates from top global universities without requiring a prior job offer.
As of August 2025, nearly 78,000 dependent children under the age of 18 were approved to settle in Hong Kong under the scheme.
Last August, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said 36 per cent of these dependent children had enrolled in the city’s subsidised schools, while 50 per cent had opted for private, DSS and international schools.
The preschool sector was the hardest hit among all education levels despite the launch of the talent scheme, with sector leaders and principals saying many parents hold back from bringing their children to Hong Kong at a very young age.
Kindergarten enrolment fell 20 per cent over three years – from 143,676 in 2022 to 113,204 in 2025 – and plummeted by 40 per cent over the past decade.
The sharpest single-year drop occurred between 2024 and 2025, when enrolment fell by nearly 10 per cent.
Local kindergartens experienced a much greater decline than non-local ones, most of which offer international curricula. The former recorded a 23 per cent drop from 2022 to 2025, while the latter declined by only 4 per cent.
A spokesman for the Education Bureau said a total of 30 kindergartens would cease operations during or at the end of the 2025-26 school year.
Meanwhile, three new kindergartens have been registered, with another 10 undergoing the application process.
