Only One New Student: A Lonely School Entrance Ceremony in South Korea 🎒

A lone student at entrance ceremony in Korea

South Korea’s low birth rate (저출산) is causing an alarming decline in school-age population (학령 인구), leading to empty classrooms and school closures.

🎒 A Lone Student at Gyodong Elementary

On March 4 2025, at Gyodong Elementary School (교동초등학교) in Incheon’s Ganghwa County, a 7-year-old girl entered first grade as the only new student. She arrived nervous and hesitant 😟 but was soon greeted with warm cheers from older students. To celebrate, the school held a special ceremony with a welcome cake 🎂, and her grandfather—a former student of the school—stood by her side.

Gyodong Elementary, founded in 1906, nearly shut down due to a severe drop in school-age children. The Rural Study Program, launched by Incheon’s education office, encouraged her family to move from the city to live with her grandfather on Gyodong Island. This program, which allows urban families to enroll children in countryside schools for up to two years, is one of the few lifelines keeping these institutions open.

Single freshman at elementary school entrance ceremony

🏫 Other Schools Face the Same Fate

The situation at Deokjeok Elementary School (덕적초) in Ongjin County was no different—only one student enrolled in first grade. The school’s entire students —just 10 children—gathered to welcome their new classmate with applause 👏.

At Jungang Elementary School (광주중앙초) in Gwangju, the first-grade classroom was just as empty. To make the student feel less isolated, the principal personally gifted school supplies 🎁, and the school arranged shared lessons with second graders to create a livelier learning environment.

The numbers tell a grim story:
🔻 Some schools that once had 5,000+ students now have just ONE new first grader
🔻 Six schools closed this year, four more than last year
🔻 In the past five years, nine schools in Gyeonggi Province shut down due to a lack of students

South Korea birth rate (by Statistics Korea)

📉 A Crisis with No Easy Fix

South Korea’s record-low birth rate of 0.72 in 2023 is pushing rural schools to the brink. Even in Gyeonggi Province—the country’s most populated region—some schools are shutting down as no new students enroll.

While the government is introducing relocation incentives and scholarship programs, the future of these schools remains uncertain. If the trend continues, South Korea may soon see an education system where many schools exist only in name—with no students left to teach.

Learn Korean Through Current Events: Key Vocabulary

If you're learning Korean, here are some useful words related to education and demographics!

📖 신입생 – New student (freshman)
📖 쓸쓸한 입학식 – Lonely entrance ceremony
📖 붐비던 초등교 – Once-crowded elementary school
📖 저출산 – Low birth rate
📖 학령 인구 – School-age population

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