CMS Education Survey 2025: Private coaching on rise in India, urban households spend more than rural

Nearly a third of all students have opted for private coaching during the current academic year, the Comprehensive Modular Survey (CMS) on Education, 2025 has revealed.

The CMS Education Survey 2025 focused specifically on household expenditure for currently enrolled students in school education. (Representative image/HT file)

As per the survey report, the prevalence of private coaching was seen more in urban areas (accounting to 30.7% students) as compared to rural areas (25.5% students).

The CMS Education Survey 2025 is part of the 80th round of the National Sample Survey (NSS), and focused specifically on household expenditure for currently enrolled students in school education.

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As per an official press release by the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation, the data was collected from 52,085 households and 57,742 students across India using Computer-Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI).

Highest expense in course fees, more in urban areas

Apart from the private coaching, another highlight of the survey is that the largest education expense made by households for education of children is made on course fees.

As per the survey, the highest average expenditure per student during the current academic year was on course fees (Rs7,111), followed by textbooks and stationery ( ₹2,002) across India.

While urban households were paying significantly more across all categories, estimated at ₹15,143, households in rural areas were paying ₹3,979.

The higher expenditure in urban areas can also be attributed to other types of education related expenses like transportation, uniforms, and textbooks, as claimed in the survey report.

In fact, urban areas also lead when it comes to expenditure on private coaching. According to the report, the average annual household expenditure on private coaching per student in urban areas Is 3,988, while in rural areas it is ₹1,793.

Private coaching expense in higher secondary level higher in urban areas

Another major highlight of the survey is that the average spending on private coaching at the higher secondary level in urban areas is ₹9,950, and in rural areas it is 4,548, indicating that the costs of coaching rises with each education level.

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Dominance of government schools in rural areas

According to the survey, government schools account for 55.9% of total student enrolments, and is higher in rural areas where two-thirds or 66.0% students are enrolled. Whereas in urban areas, the figure stands at 30.1%. Besides, private unaided schools account for 31.9% of enrolment nationwide.

Moreover, the average per student expenditure made by households on school education in government schools was estimated at ₹2,863 during the current academic year. Whereas in private schools, it was ₹25,002.

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Family funding the main source for school education finance

The CMS Education Survey 2025 also revealed that for 95% students in India, the first major source of their funding was from other household members.

The trend was consistent across both rural (95.3%) and urban (94.4%) areas, the report said. Meanwhile, 1.2 % students reported that Government scholarships was their first major source of funding for school education.

For more details on the CMS Education Survey 2025, visit the official website of Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation.

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