On August 26, 2026, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology released the preliminary results of the 2026 Basic School Survey. The number of students in correspondence high schools increased for the 11th consecutive year, reaching a record high of 311,792 (compared to 305,221 the previous year). The number of students in private correspondence courses was 250,220 (compared to 243,212 the previous year), marking the 31st consecutive year of increase. The number of "corresponding education facilities," also known as satellite facilities for correspondence high schools, reached 4,584 (compared to 3,749 the previous year), an increase of approximately 800 facilities.
Correspondence high schools include "independent schools" that offer only correspondence courses and "joint schools" that offer both full-time and correspondence courses. There are 153 "independent schools" (143 the previous year) and 205 "joint schools" (189 the previous year), with a noticeable increase in joint schools. Furthermore, with the revision of the High School Correspondence Education Regulations in March 2022, conventional satellite facilities and the like were legally designated as "correspondence education cooperation facilities." The number of "correspondence education cooperation facilities" includes facilities that provide face-to-face instruction (branch schools, cooperating schools, skills training facilities, facilities of other schools, etc.) and learning support facilities (support facilities), and is increasing at a rate of several hundred per year.
The number of full-time high school students decreased for the 12th consecutive year, falling to 2,764,107 (compared to 2,792,141 the previous year). The number of part-time high school students decreased slightly to 73,131 (compared to 73,331 the previous year). The total number of high school students, including full-time, part-time, and correspondence courses, was 3,149,030 (compared to 3,178,849 the previous year), with correspondence high school students accounting for 9.9% of this total. Similar to the previous year, this means that approximately one in ten students is enrolled in a correspondence high school.
Several correspondence high schools are scheduled to open in April 2027, including Risshisha Kirameki High School (Hokkaido), Dalton X Gakuen High School (Iwate Prefecture), and Ame ni mo Makezu High School (Hiroshima Prefecture). Existing schools continue to establish numerous satellite facilities (campuses).
