With the full introduction of the high school credit system and the five-tier school record grading system, an analysis said the "number of students" has emerged as a key variable when choosing which high school to attend.
According to Jongro Academy on the 30th, applications for special-purpose high schools, autonomous private high schools, and general high schools nationwide for the 2026 academic year will begin on Dec. 3. Placement will be completed around late Jan. 2026.
With the five-tier school record grading system in place, the share of first-tier grades is fixed at 10%. That means the more students there are, the easier it becomes to receive a first-tier grade.
Jongro Academy's analysis of the School Info disclosure data found that 884 schools (52.1%) out of 1,696 general high schools nationwide had fewer than 200 students. There were also 277 schools (16.3%) with fewer than 100 students.
There were 236 general high schools (13.9%) with 300 or more students, which can be relatively advantageous for securing a higher school record tier. By region, there were 125 in Gyeonggi, 30 in Seoul, 19 in South Chungcheong, 15 in Incheon, and 14 in South Gyeongsang.
As of last year, among the top 10 schools with the most transfers by first-year high school students, six were autonomous private high schools and four were general high schools. Of the four general high schools, one was a non-equalized general high school.
Im Seong-ho, head of Jongro Academy, said, "Considering the 2025 academic year's high school admissions competition rate and other factors, in areas without special-purpose or autonomous private high schools, the number of students could become a major variable in choosing a high school, and specialized high schools such as autonomous public high schools are also expected to draw considerable interest."