Kazakhstan continues accepting documents for enrolling children in the first grade. In the new academic year, more than 380,000 first-graders will sit at school desks, the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan reported. To date, about 320,000 children, or approximately 84% of the projected number, have already been enrolled in schools across the country. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Most children go to public schools
About 296,000 children will study in public schools, and about 23,000 in private ones. About 191,000 children have been enrolled in urban schools, and about 128,000 in rural schools. In addition, almost 4,000 children with special educational needs have been admitted to educational organizations.
Growing interest in Kazakh-language education
More than 71% of future first-graders chose classes with the Kazakh language of instruction, over 26% with Russian, and about 2.5% with other languages. Moreover, more than 2,000 children of other nationalities have been enrolled in Kazakh-language classes, indicating a growing interest among parents in teaching children in the state language.
Applications can be submitted online until the end of August
Applications are accepted in stages from May 27 to August 31, 2026, in accordance with the approved schedule. About 84% of parents have already submitted documents electronically — via the eGov.kz portal, the eGov Mobile app, or directly at the chosen school.
Regional distribution
The largest number of first-graders is expected in the Turkistan region — more than 50,000 children. It is followed by the Almaty region with more than 35,000 children, Astana with 33,000, Almaty with more than 31,000, and Shymkent with more than 29,000. This distribution is related to population size and high birth rates in these regions.
The Ministry of Education recommended that parents timely complete the documents and clarify additional information at the chosen school, on the eGov.kz portal, or in the eGov Mobile app.