Students during an English lesson at the Phước Bình Secondary School in HCM City. Photo Ngoc Thu

HCM CITY — The number of ninth-grade graduates for the 2025-2026 school year in HCM City reached 169,080, an increase of 42,734 students compared to the previous school year, according to the city Department of Education and Training.

The city’s Region 1 (former HCM City) saw an increase of 27,106 students, and Region 2 (former Bình Dương) and Region 3 (former Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu) reported an increase of 8,419 students and 7,209 students, respectively.

Meanwhile, enrollment quotas of 10th grade in the 2026-2027 school year at public high schools in the city totaled only 103,739 students.

Of these students, public high schools in regions 1 and 3 can accommodate 65-66 per cent, while region 2 can only accommodate 44 per cent.

More than 65,000 students unable to get admission to public high schools in the 2026-2027 school year will have to enroll in private high schools, vocational schools or continuing education institutions.

The continuing education institutions registered enrollment quotas of 19,816.

Vocational schools and private high schools announced quotas of 10,135 and 32,850, respectively.

The department hopes that 70 per cent of graduates from secondary schools or 118,356 students would attend public high schools in the 2026-2027 school year.

It directed public schools to reassess capacity and assign enrollment targets for 10th-grade classes based on the number of ninth-grade students in each area.

The entrance exam for public schools will take place from June 1-2. —VNS