Family maneuver: why there are more and more private schools in Russia

In January-July 2026, 206 new organizations in the field of private school and preschool education were registered in Russia — 9% more than a year earlier, according to Rusprofile data. The main driver of demand is the practical problems of the state system: overcrowded classrooms, second shift, lack of individual attention and the desire of parents to get a more flexible format. At the same time, the market is developing unevenly: interest in private schools is growing, while the number of pupils in commercial kindergartens has decreased. What are the prospects of the private educational sector — in the material of Izvestia.

The private market

In Russia, there are about 4 thousand active legal entities working in the field of private school and preschool education. In six years, their number has decreased by about 22%, from 5,042 organizations, but there are still about 900 private schools in the country, where almost 215,000 children study.

Over the past 5 years, the number of private school students has almost doubled. The main reasons for the increase are overcrowding in public educational institutions, where there are 35 or more children in classes, the desire of parents with the means to provide small groups of about 15 people and a more comfortable environment, as well as stricter requirements for family education, which is why some families choose licensed alternatives.

At the same time, the segment of commercial kindergartens is developing in the opposite way: the number of pupils decreased from 112 thousand in 2020 to 104 thousand in early 2026. The dynamics are influenced by a decrease in the number of preschoolers and the release of places in government institutions, while demand is shifting to short—term care, developmental clubs and individual classes in languages, robotics and other areas, whose market is growing by about 15% annually.

Up to 70% of the commercial kindergarten market can be occupied by unlicensed care and development centers operating in the format of children's clubs. Geographically, the industry is most represented in Moscow — 18% of all companies in the children's education sector, another 9% in the Moscow region and 7% in St. Petersburg.

From January to July 2026, 206 new organizations operating in the field of private school and preschool education were registered in Russia. According to the Rusprofile counterparty verification and analysis service, the indicator turned out to be 9% higher than the result for the same period in 2025. At the same time, the number of new registrations steadily increased from 2021 to 2024, and decreased by 16% in 2025.

Improving the public sector

At the same time, the government has increased investments in educational infrastructure through the national projects "Youth and Children" and "Family", designed until 2030. The federal budget for 2026-2028 provides for more than 290 billion rubles for the overhaul of schools, almost 110 billion for the construction of 150 new schools, another 50.9 billion for the renovation of kindergartens and 26.6 billion rubles for the creation of additional places.

Modernization includes upgrading communications, roofs, facades, sports and gaming spaces, and the Ministry of Education is changing the use of federal subsidies to speed up repairs. At the same time, the regions are increasing spending per child: in Moscow, 184.6 thousand rubles a year are allocated for a high school student, and up to 237 thousand rubles for a full—time pupil; in recent years, more than 266 thousand places for children under three have been created in the country.

The changes affect not only buildings: schools are switching to FGIS "My School", interactive panels and laboratories, and unified educational programs should reduce differences in the content of education between regions.

Over 9 billion rubles have been allocated to 33 pedagogical universities to upgrade the pedagogical infrastructure, while federal payments for classroom guidance and curation are being maintained and indexed.

Prospects of the sphere

In the coming years, the private market will change in several directions at once: large chains and franchises will displace single projects, offering educational routes for children from 3 to 18 years old. The main growth is expected in the million-plus cities of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan and Krasnodar, and increased control over unlicensed children's clubs will lead to their closure or transition to official status.

About 200,000 children study in non—state schools today, about 1% of all schoolchildren, Boris Ilyukhin, senior researcher at the Center for Economics of Continuing Education at the Presidential Academy, told Izvestia. The interest in such institutions is supported by overcrowded classrooms and second shifts in some regions, but the key factor remains the desire of parents to give the child more attention, an individual class format and additional consultations.

Among the advantages of private schools are small classrooms, a personal approach, the work of tutors and teaching assistants, and often a high level of teacher qualifications. At the same time, education can be expensive, and small children often require organized transportation. The quality of teaching varies greatly, as in public institutions. It is also important for parents to make sure in advance that they have a license and state accreditation. In the absence of accreditation, the child will need to be assigned to another school to take the OGE and USE.

At the same time, the high cost in itself does not mean a higher level of education, Dmitry Glushko, candidate of pedagogical sciences, expert of the Popular Front, told Izvestia. The public system has professional expertise in evaluating curricula, while private schools have very different institutions in terms of quality. Therefore, when choosing, it is worth looking not so much at the price and quantity of services offered, but rather at the level of teachers, the educational achievements of children, the content of the educational program and its compliance with the needs of a particular child.

Important differences

When choosing a kindergarten, the age of the child and the family's task are important: public institutions are more often suitable for children from 3 years old, while private options are more convenient for early age, soft adaptation or specialized programs.

It can be difficult to get into a group of up to 2.5–3 years old in state kindergartens, but they usually have a full-fledged infrastructure, food and a license under the supervision of Rospotrebnadzor, and private gardens are more often accepted from 1-1.5 years old, groups of about 15 children are offered, but they are noticeably more expensive.

In school education, the difference is more noticeable: there are 30-38 students in public classes, there is a single FOP standard, and additional classes are often needed to prepare for the OGE/USE. Private schools usually limit enrollment to 15 children, use proprietary methods, can combine the Federal State Educational Standard with Montessori, Waldorf approach, or IB, and often operate on a full—time model - from about 9:00 to 18:00. At the same time, having a license does not guarantee accreditation, so the issue of state exams requires a separate check.

The final decision should be made taking into account the cost, as well as the legal status, the burden on parents, the atmosphere and location. A strong lyceum close to home can provide a stronger academic base than a regular fee-paying school an hour away, and an overly comfortable environment sometimes makes it difficult for graduates to adapt to a more competitive environment. At the same time, the certification requirements for family education are becoming stricter, which also increases interest in licensed private schools.

Izvestia sent requests to the Ministry of Education and Rusprofile, but no responses had been received at the time of publication.