New academic year in Ukraine: what awaits Ukrainian schoolchildren
Kyiv • UNN
The new academic year in Ukraine will begin on September 1 and last until June 30, 2026. Changes will affect school funding, organization of education, and construction of shelters.
Soon, a new academic year will begin in Ukrainian schools, which will take place under wartime conditions. What awaits students, how the educational process will be organized, how secondary educational institutions will function, and what challenges they will face are described in the UNN material.
How long will the new academic year last?
The new academic year in Ukrainian educational institutions will traditionally begin on September 1. The corresponding resolution was adopted by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. It will end on June 30, 2026.
It is important to emphasize that June 30 is the final date for the end of the academic year. However, the actual date for the end of lessons and classes and the start of holidays is determined by the pedagogical council of the educational institution.
Reduction in the number of schools
From September 1, 2025, the financing of teachers' salaries in schools with fewer than 45 students will cease from the educational subvention, and from September 1, 2026, those with fewer than 60 students. It is worth noting that this directive does not apply to primary schools that are separate legal entities. In total, due to a lack of students, more than 500 schools may be closed.
At the same time, all school-aged children have been added to the calculation of the educational subvention for each community; in other words, the community will receive funds for the education of all children, but it will not be able to spend them on small schools.
This means that local self-government bodies can decide: either to transport students from these schools to the nearest larger school, or to pay teachers in small schools from local budgets.
The Ministry of Education also reminded that such a decision to improve the quality of education for students from villages had already been made. Thus, since September 1, 2016, schools with fewer than 25 students are not financed by the educational subvention.
Offline or online learning
According to Article 9 of the Law of Ukraine "On Education", educational institutions have the right to organize the educational process in person, remotely, individually, or in a blended format.
At the same time, Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko announced the resumption of in-person learning in 155 schools by the end of the year.
We monitor the progress of work every week… by the end of the year, 155 schools should switch from online to in-person learning
At the same time, the introduction of hot meals for students in grades 1-11 is envisaged. In addition, according to this program, it is planned to prepare infrastructure to provide meals throughout the country.
Underground schools
In Kharkiv, seven underground schools have been prepared by the start of the 2025 academic year. The construction of new ones continues. In addition, school classes will be maintained at metro stations in the city, said Mayor Ihor Terekhov on the telethon.
The mayor clarified that three of the seven underground schools were built in the spring and summer of 2025. It is in these underground schools that students and their parents will celebrate the First Bell.
We plan to celebrate September 1st specifically in underground schools. This is important, as it forms an emotional connection with our young citizens
In addition, according to Terekhov, Kharkiv plans to open three more underground schools by January 1, 2026.
In addition, the construction of underground schools continues in the Zaporizhzhia region. According to the head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration, Ivan Fedorov, the construction should be completed by the end of this year. He added that a total of 24 underground schools are planned to be created.
Shelters
Reliable and comfortable shelters remain a problem for Ukrainian schools even in the fourth year of the war. Educational ombudsman of Ukraine Nadiia Leshchyk reported on the telethon that parents complain to her about the lack of toilets and ventilation in school shelters and the presence of mold. According to her, these problems are currently being resolved, and adequate funding has been allocated for this.
This year, the state allocated UAH 6.2 billion for shelters in general secondary education institutions. This is a rather significant amount, but we must understand that shelters are quite expensive to build. Such construction takes quite a long time. The number of schools that have switched to in-person learning increases every year
Leshchyk noted that preschool educational institutions are a problem, as there is no state subvention for shelters there.
Communities cannot always ensure the construction of shelters. We receive complaints about this, but the draft government action program for the coming years will include funds for shelters in preschool educational institutions
Ukrainian schoolchildren abroad
The Ministry of Education has updated its methodological recommendations, according to which children who are citizens of Ukraine and are abroad can choose one of the following paths:
- combine studying in a local school and a Ukrainian one (Ukrainian studies component, distance, family, or external form);
- combine studying in a local school and a Ukrainian educational center abroad (Saturday/Sunday schools, cultural centers, etc.) that have been verified in the AIKOM system or cooperate with the International Ukrainian School;
- study only in a Ukrainian school, if this does not contradict the laws of the host country;
- study only in a school in the host country (in-person form).
Ukrainian schoolchildren in the temporarily occupied territories
Students from the temporarily occupied territories can also continue their education in the Ukrainian system in one of the forms provided by law:
- distance;
- family (home);
- external;
- pedagogical patronage.
For the education of children in the temporarily occupied territories, the Ministry of Education and Science has developed a Standard Educational Program.
The Ministry of Education also noted that children who were forced to interrupt their studies abroad or in the temporarily occupied territory have the right to re-enroll in school in Ukraine at the level they would have studied without interruption (according to age). For this, a statement from parents or legal representatives is sufficient.