School year 2026/27

School enrolment: 55% go to high school, the 4+2 chain doubles enrolments

Scientific is the most popular address. Technical institutes are holding up, while vocational ones are growing

by Eugenio Bruno and Claudio Tucci

2 March 2026

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

Members of the chain
The overall choices
Scientific first address

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Again next year, more than half of the 9th grade students will go to high school. To be precise, 55.88% of those newly enrolled for the 2026/27 school year, compared to 55.99% last year.

Technical schools are holding up, while professional schools are increasing. This is stated by the Ministry of Education and Merit's surveys on online enrolments that ended on 21 February. The data also show a boom in the technological-professional sector: the so-called "4+2" model (four years of high school plus two years in the Its Academy), which from this year has become standard, doubles the number of enrolments compared to the year before.

Members of the 4+2

With 10,532 enrolled students, the number has almost doubled from last year's 5,449. Considering also the students already attending it, there are over 20 thousand those involved in the four-year courses overall.

Minister Giuseppe Valditara is satisfied: "The four-year courses in the technological-professional sector are now a reality that meets with growing interest among students and families. The enrolment figures,' adds the head of MIM, 'confirm that we have succeeded in building a first-rate training channel through constant dialogue and interlocution with businesses and the world of work'.

Very positive, for him, is the figure "of adhesion in the South. The number of institutes nationwide that are equipping themselves with 4+2 pathways," he emphasises, "is an unequivocal sign: the reform, in line with the best European practices, offers a choice that is up to the challenges of the future, able to bring out the talents and inclinations of each student and to offer valid employment opportunities.

The overall choices

The licei remain at the top of preferences with 55.88% of newly enrolled students (55.99% in the 2025/2026 academic year). In this scenario, there is also a growing interest in the new Liceo del Made in Italy, which improves last year's enrolment figure by 32.5%.

The Technical Institutes stood at 30.84% (31.32% a year ago).

The Vocational Institutes grew from 12.69 per cent to 13.28 per cent.

From a regional point of view, Lazio confirms itself as the region with the highest number of enrolments in high schools (69.72%), Veneto is the one where technical institutes obtain the best result (39.17%) and Emilia-Romagna registers the peak for vocational schools (17.80%).

Scientific first address

Turning to the addresses, the classical is chosen by 5.20% (5.37% a year ago).

The scientific high schools collect 13.16% (13.53% a year ago); the scientific - applied sciences option is at 9.75% (9.85% in 2025/2026) and the scientific - sports section is at 2.08% (2.09% a year ago).

The linguistic stands at 7.69% (8.01% a year ago).

For the rest, the human sciences high school grows, from 7.46% to 7.93%, and the economic-social option also rises from 4.21% to 4.55%. the artistic option is at 3.95% (4.03% in 2025/2026).

the european classical high schools and international option sections are at 0.40% (0.41% last year), while the music and choreography high schools are growing overall: the music section rises from 0.77% to 0.85% and the choreography section from 0.17% to 0.18%. the made in italy high school rises from 0.09% to 0.14%.

Moving on to the technical institutes, the economic sector is at 11.78% (12.24% a year ago). Here, 'Administration, finance and marketing' is chosen by 8.66% (it was at 9.12%), while 'Tourism' is stable at 3.12%.

the technology sector is at 19.06%, essentially stable compared to 19.08% a year ago. Among the addresses in the technology sector, 'Computer Science and Telecommunications' is at 4.98% (5.35% a year ago), 'Mechanics, Mechatronics and Energy' increases from 2.89% to 3.06% and 'Chemistry, Materials and Biotechnology' is at 2.34% (2.31% in 2025/2026).

Among the most popular professional addresses worth mentioning are: 'Enogastronomy and hotel hospitality', which rises from 3.94 per cent to 4.15 per cent; 'Maintenance and technical assistance', which rises from 1.78 per cent to 1.94 per cent; 'Health and social work services', which rises from 2.01 per cent to 2.25 per cent.

Claudio TucciRedattore
Luogo: Roma
Argomenti: Mercato del lavoro, education
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Eugenio Brunovice caposervizio
- @Eugenio_Bruno
- LinkedIn
Luogo: Roma
Lingue parlate: Italiano, inglese, francese
Argomenti: Scuola, Università, Ricerca, Cinema, Federalismo, Enti locali
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