Some 2.6 Million Israeli Pupils Set to Start School Year

Meanwhile, student enrollment in the Gaza-border Tkuma region is about 9% higher than on the eve of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, according to the Tkuma Directorate.

By Joshua Marks, JNS

Around 2.6 million Israeli students are set to return to schools and preschools across the country on Tuesday as the 5786/87 academic year gets underway on Sept. 1, the Education Ministry said on Monday.

Among those attending classes, roughly 180,000 children are entering the first grade, while around 143,000 12th graders will begin their final year in high school.

The curriculum includes the introduction of financial education studies for ninth-grade pupils, as well as an expanded focus on STEM and artificial intelligence across educational programs.

More than 1.1 million children participated in educational programming during the summer months.

The ministry said the first week of the school year would focus on strengthening students’ sense of belonging, resilience, and social ties, including the prevention of violence, social exclusion, and bullying in physical and digital settings.

The Education Ministry said its “Israel Realia” STEM reform, launched in the previous school year with an investment of approximately 500 million shekels ($137 million), aims to return Israel to the top 10 in the TIMSS (International Mathematics and Science Study) international assessments by 2029.

TIMSS’s Program 720, which adapts instruction to the AI era, will operate in English classes in all middle schools and expand to approximately 140 STEM schools.

More than 12,000 English and STEM teachers will undergo AI training, while eighth and ninth graders will take a 20-hour program on informed and creative AI use, critical thinking, identifying false information, and responsible and ethical conduct.

Education Minister Yoav Kisch said, “We are opening the year with great responsibility and with a clear direction: to strengthen Israeli students’ sense of belonging and resilience; deepen identity, values, and heritage; and, at the same time, provide them with the knowledge and tools that will enable them to lead and succeed in a rapidly changing world.”

Thousands of Israel Police and Border Police officers, volunteers, and civilian security squad members will deploy around educational institutions nationwide early Tuesday for the start of the academic year, the Israel Police said on Monday.

Police Commissioner Danny Levi approved the deployment and instructed all police districts and divisions to operate at full readiness, with forces tasked with securing students and parents, maintaining public order, and directing increased traffic around schools.

Growth in Gaza-border communities

Meanwhile, student enrollment in the Gaza-border Tkuma region is about 9% higher than on the eve of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, according to the Tkuma Directorate.

A total of 22,233 students are enrolled for the 5786/87 school year in the Tkuma region’s five local authorities: the city of Sderot and the regional councils of Eshkol, Hof Ashkelon, Sdot Negev, and Sha’ar Hanegev.

That is an increase of 1,802 students, or about 9%, compared with the eve of the Oct. 7 attacks.

Enrollment in Sderot has risen by about 16% from its prewar level, while enrollment in Sdot Negev and Hof Ashkelon is also higher than it was before the war.

Of the pupils counted across the Tkuma region, 4,553 are children from birth to age 3, 3,965 are in kindergarten and 13,715 are in grades one through 12. The enrollment growth aligns with community returns over the summer, including more than 95% of residents returning to Kibbutz Kissufim, the return of residents to Holit and Kfar Aza, and the youth cohort from Kibbutz Be’eri returning to study in the Eshkol region.

“The increase in the number of students in all the region’s local authorities compared with last year is far more than a numerical figure; it reflects the return home, the strengthening of the communities and the Tkuma region’s transition from recovery to growth,” Tkuma Directorate head Aviad Friedman said.

“The education system is one of the most important pillars in building the region’s future, and therefore we are investing in it not only to meet today’s needs but also with an eye toward the years ahead.”

The Tkuma Directorate said it is investing 364 million shekels (about $100 million) in eight education projects in 2026 to strengthen the region’s education system, community resilience, and long-term growth.

The funding includes 184 million shekels for a local-needs education basket, 103 million shekels for additional educational facilities and 54 million shekels for informal education programs, with an emphasis on English and technology studies, recruitment and retention of education personnel, and developing future school administrators.

As students across the United Arab Emirates returned to classrooms on Monday and Israeli pupils prepared for their first day on Tuesday, the Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi sent “its warmest wishes for a productive, enjoyable, and brilliant academic year ahead!”