Greece is shutting 750+ schools for 2025-26 due to <15-student enrollments. The crisis, tied to plummeting birth rates, forces kids on 50-mile commutes—exposing a "population collapse."
Athens, Oct. 5 – Walk into many Greek villages this fall, and you’ll find something missing: the sound of kids laughing at recess. Greece is closing over 750 schools ahead of the 2025-2026 academic year, all felled by a brutal enrollment crisis that’s not just about empty classrooms—it’s a loud alarm for the country’s future. “This isn’t just an education issue,” one parent fumed on Facebook. “It’s our kids paying for decades of broken systems.”
The Numbers: 5% of Greece’s Schools Vanish Overnight
The closures aren’t random—they’re mandated by Greek law. Schools that fail to hit a 15-student minimum for three straight years get shuttered for good, and this year, 750+ crossed that grim threshold. That’s 5% of the nation’s schools, hitting elementary and preschools hardest, though middle schools aren’t spared.
What’s striking is how widespread it is. It’s not just remote islands or mountain villages; even Athens’ suburban Attica region is losing schools. “We thought we’d be safe here,” said a teacher in a southern Attica town set to close her 12-student classroom. “Turns out, no corner of Greece is immune.”
The Root Cause: A “Population Collapse” in Plain Sight
Education Minister Sofia Zacharaki didn’t mince words when she told reporters the closures reflect “terrible” demographic decline. Greece’s birth rate has tanked for decades—now at 1.3, among Europe’s lowest—and since 2011, more people die than are born. It’s a perfect storm: fewer women of childbearing age, delayed parenthood, and the scars of the 2010s debt crisis that chased young professionals abroad.
“To have a family now, you need to be a hero,” Army sergeant Christos Giannakidis told local media, summing up the stress. “A second kid? That’s a luxury most can’t afford.” Alexandra Tragaki, a demographic expert at Harokopio University, calls it “population collapse”—and warns there’s no quick fix.
The Human Cost: 50-Mile Commutes and Lost Communities
For families, the closures mean upheaval. In rural areas, kids now face round-trip commutes of 50 miles or more to the nearest open school. “My 8-year-old will leave at 6 a.m. and get home at 5 p.m.,” a mother on the island of Evia wrote in a viral Twitter thread. “How is that fair?”
Schools aren’t just buildings in small towns—they’re community hubs. Closing them severs ties: no more PTA bake sales, no more after-school sports, no more gathering places for neighbors. “When the school goes, the village dies a little,” said a mayor in northern Greece whose town lost its only elementary school.
Social Media Erupts: Outrage and #SaveGreekSchools
On Twitter and Facebook, grief is mixing with anger. #SaveGreekSchools trended as parents shared photos of their soon-to-be-shuttered schools, and users slammed the government for inaction. One viral post contrasted Greece’s sparse schools—averaging 142 kids each—with the Netherlands’ 243-student average, calling it “wasteful until it’s too late.”
There are exceptions: border and remote island schools stay open for strategic reasons, even with tiny classes. But for most, it’s cold comfort. “Why save those but not ours?” a parent in central Greece asked. “Our kids matter too.”
As Greece gears up for the new school year, the 750 closed doors aren’t just a loss for education—they’re a mirror. They reflect a country grappling with a future where there are simply fewer kids to teach. For now, families are adapting, but the anger lingers. “This didn’t have to happen,” Tragaki said. “But until we fix the reasons people aren’t having kids, more schools will close. Mark my words.”