According to the latest UDISE+ data, the coverage of secondary schools equipped with integrated science laboratories decreased to 54.6% during the 2025-26 period. This figure dropped compared to 57.1% the previous year and 55.9% in 2023-24, despite the number of such schools increasing by approximately 10 thousand over three years.
Infrastructure Development Dynamics
UDISE+ data indicates that the problem is not limited to government institutions; a similar situation was observed in both supported government schools and private schools. The absolute number of schools with such laboratories grew from 1.6 lakh in 2023-24 to 1.7 lakh in 2025-26. However, the growth rate of the total number of schools providing secondary education was higher—from approximately 2.9 lakh to 3.1 lakh, leading to an overall decrease in coverage level.
Requirements and Risks
The report emphasizes the need to provide 'adequate and safe infrastructure... computational devices, internet, libraries, as well as sports and recreational resources.' Furthermore, it warns that the imbalance in school accessibility across different levels 'may create a risk of mass dropout among senior students.'
Differences Between School Types
Management trends show uneven development. Government schools demonstrated an increase in coverage of integrated science laboratories from 50.2% in 2023-24 to 51.1% in 2025-26. In contrast, supported government schools saw a decline from 63.2% to 59.9%, while unsupported private schools dropped from 60.7% to 57.5%.
Regional Contrasts
At the state level, there are sharp differences. Bihar remains among the laggards, having only 26.9% of secondary schools with integrated science laboratories in 2025-26, although this figure improved from 23% in 2023-24. Assam significantly increased from 28.8% to 43.3%. Gujarat decreased from 46.7% to 43.8%, and Andhra Pradesh reduced from 61.9% to 48.7% amid the expansion of secondary education.
Best State Performance
Delhi stands out among the leaders in terms of performance, reporting a coverage of 99.7%. It is followed by Chhattisgarh with 79.8% and Haryana with 77.4%. Nevertheless, Goa showed a decline from 95.2% in 2023-24 to 79.6% in the latest report.