Fewer children in the schools of the southern suburbs: The demographic decline in numbers
Fewer children, fewer classes, fewer voices in the schoolyards of the southern suburbs of Athens. NouPou gathered data from the past five years on first grade registrations in elementary schools across the southern suburbs. A clear downward trend emerges, reflecting the imprint of Greece’s demographic problem on local communities.
- 29/09/2025, 12:38
The picture painted by this year’s data on first grade registrations in the southern suburbs leaves little room for doubt: fewer and fewer children are starting elementary school. This decline is not a one-off coincidence, but the result of a steady downward course recorded in recent years, tied to the broader demographic problem the country is experiencing.
Entering elementary school marks children’s first real contact with formal education, a milestone that until recently reflected the vitality and outlook of each city or neighborhood. Today, however, the numbers show that classrooms in the southern suburbs are filling with fewer students than just five years ago. This means fewer classes, changes in the school allocation map, and a deeper reflection of social reality: births are falling, families are getting smaller, and the country’s population is aging.
The Directorate of Primary Education of D’ Athens, which covers the municipalities of Agios Dimitrios, Alimos, Glyfada, Elliniko–Argyroupoli, Kallithea, Moschato–Tavros, Nea Smyrni, and Palaio Faliro, provided NouPou with detailed statistics from the past five years for public elementary schools in these areas. Equivalent data for the Municipality of Vari–Voula–Vouliagmeni was provided by the Directorate of Primary Education of Eastern Attica. Looking back from the 2021–2022 school year to the one that has just begun (2025–2026), the downward trend is unmistakable.
The numbers by municipality
From the 2021–2022 school year to this year, 2025–2026, the number of students entering first grade across the eight municipalities of Athens D fell from 3,715 to 3,128 children – a drop of nearly –16%.
This decline may seem like a simple statistical record, but in practice it translates into classrooms that fill more slowly, classes that may be merged, and an educational reality in flux. It is also a sign that the neighborhoods of the southern suburbs of Athens are aging, with all that this implies for their vibrancy, dynamism, and future outlook. Looking at the detailed table compiled by NouPou and published below, one can see that in some municipalities the losses recorded are dramatic.
Agios Dimitrios: From 502 students in 2021–2022, registrations dropped to 482 this year, with small fluctuations in between – a decrease of about –3.9%.
Alimos: It is worth noting that Alimos is the only exception to the overall downward trend, showing a slight increase this year compared to the other municipalities in the area. From 262 in 2021–2022 to 285 this school year – an increase of about +8.8%.
Glyfada: A steady decrease from 566 students in 2021–2022 to just 487 this year – a drop of nearly –14%.
Argyroupoli–Elliniko: The most dramatic decline. From 413 children in 2021–2022, registrations fell to 279 in 2025–2026 – a drop of nearly –33%.
Kallithea: From 688 students in 2021–2022 to 567 this year, with a steady downward course – a decrease of –17.6%.
Moschato–Tavros: From 360 registrations in 2021–2022 to just 277 in 2025–2026 – a drop of –23.1%.
Nea Smyrni: A steady decrease from 492 to 409 students over five years – a decrease of –16.9%.
Palaio Faliro: From 432 students in 2021–2022, the number dropped to 342 this year – a decrease of –20.8%.
Vari–Voula–Vouliagmeni: From 275 students in 2022–2023, the number fell to 220 this year – a decrease of about –20%.
“The picture in private schools has remained stable in recent years”
Speaking to NouPou, Kyriakos Lembesis, Head of Educational Affairs and Deputy Director of Primary Education of Eastern Attica, explained that the situation is not uniform across all municipalities. “In the Municipality of Vari–Voula–Vouliagmeni, we see a small increase this school year compared to 2024–2025 (220 students registered this year compared to 216 last year). Compared to other large municipalities, it doesn’t show such a steep decline, and this is mainly due to relocation. Many families are leaving the city center to settle in areas considered ‘less central’,” he noted.
He emphasized that low birth rates are the main reason behind the overall decrease in the student population, a phenomenon not limited to Greece but observed internationally as well. “But there are also optimistic signs. We believe this decline in primary education will stop in the coming years,” he said.
The consequences, however, are already visible: “From classes of 25 students, we are now down to 20 or even 18. On the one hand, this means fewer students per class, but on the other, it forces many teachers to move to other municipalities.”
Could the decline in public elementary school enrollments be due to increased flows toward private schools? Mr. Lembesis noted that the picture in private schools is different from that of public ones – but not upward, rather relatively stable: “We do not see the same decrease observed in public education. Of course, some private schools lower tuition to attract students, while others remain at high levels.” He added that the Municipality of Vari–Voula–Vouliagmeni stands out in this area, as it has “the most and the largest private schools.”
“A cry of concern” from the Municipality of Elliniko–Argyroupoli
As mentioned earlier, the steepest decline among the southern municipalities is in Elliniko–Argyroupoli, where first grade registrations have dropped by 33% over the past five years. Mayor of Elliniko–Argyroupoli, Giannis Konstantatos, posted the following on social media: “Blessing of the schools, 12 children in one first grade, 16 in another, and more or less the same tragic situation everywhere! 70,000 fewer first graders after a decade, and Greece is slowly and steadily fading away! Can this situation be saved so that young couples will have more children? Of course, with clear measures to support them, such as 1,500 euros monthly allowance for each child. Utopian? Those who know best will say there is no money? Then let them find it, they know how and where to cut from elsewhere and support new mothers with real labor measures, otherwise by 2060 we will have only pensioners and another Greece!” he wrote, among other things, concluding: “I am voicing concern over our number one national problem, the demographic issue, and I hope to be proven wrong.”
The demographic problem in Greece
The downward trend highlighted in the table above is consistent with nationwide data on declining births (Greece records some of the lowest fertility rates in the EU). According to the latest available figures from ELSTAT, births in Greece in 2023 amounted to 71,455 (live births), marking a 6.1% decrease compared to 2022, when they stood at 76,095. The steepest decline was already recorded during the period 2010–2015, when births fell from 114,766 to 91,847 – a drop of about 20% in just six years. Since then, the trajectory has remained steadily downward, with only minor fluctuations, gradually reaching 71,455 in 2023.
It is also worth noting that 2011 was the year when, for the first time in the postwar era, Greece’s population began to decline. This is linked to three factors – births, deaths, and migration – and it affects many different areas of society and the Greek economy, including education.
The challenge now is not simply to track the undeniable decline in numbers, but to see how, through targeted interventions and policies, both the state and communities themselves can respond to this new reality.