Three lyceums failed to form two 10th-grade classes each: Mykolaiv’s school network may be changed

Lyceums No. 51, No. 53 and No. 60 in Mykolaiv this year were unable to enroll 2 10th-grade classes each. Because of this, the city-approved network of academic lyceums may be revised. The situation was described during a briefing on 16 September by the head of the Department of Education of the Mykolaiv City Council Hanna Lychko.

The number of students continuing their studies in 10th grades in the city is decreasing. At the start of the full-scale war there were 2297 such pupils, and this year — 1885. The decline is 18%.

The number of senior students determines how many academic lyceums will be able to operate in Mykolaiv after the senior school reform. From 1 September 2027 new requirements will apply to such institutions:

• at least 2 classes in each grade level;
• no fewer than 3 educational profiles.

Currently the city has 22 lyceums. In June 2026 the Mykolaiv City Council approved the future network of academic lyceums, but its composition may still change.

Hanna Lychko explained why this year’s enrollment results may affect the status of three institutions:

Already this year three educational institutions — Lyceum No. 51, No. 53 and No. 60 — were unable to enroll two classes. Accordingly, under the new law they cannot be lyceums.

The transition will be gradual. Students who are already studying at these institutions must be allowed to finish upper secondary school and receive a certificate of complete general secondary education. The Department of Education of the Mykolaiv City Council will continue to monitor the number of entrants to 10th grades. Whether the city retains its current number of academic lyceums will depend on enrollment results in the coming years.

The total number of schoolchildren in Mykolaiv is also shrinking. This school year there are 2,456 fewer than last year. Compared with the start of the full-scale war, the city’s schools have lost 13,618 pupils.

Back in April 2026 educators warned that lyceums No. 51, No. 53 and No. 60 might not meet future requirements due to an insufficient number of senior students. The head of the Department of Education of the Mykolaiv City Council Hanna Lychko then explained that from 1 September 2027 a lyceum should have at least 2 classes per grade level and 3 educational profiles. At that time a further decrease in the number of 9th-grade graduates was also forecast: about 47% of students continued into 10th grades. At the end of April the relevant deputies’ committee approved the draft network of academic lyceums, which is to come into force on 1 September 2027.

Earlier we wrote:

• Over 8,000 children remained in distance learning: how Mykolaiv schools operate
• A quarter fewer students: Mykolaiv now has only 34.6 thousand schoolchildren, one third of them remotely
• Mykolaiv may lose lyceums: the bill leaves thousands of upper-grade students without education
• “This is the fate of our children!” — parents in the Korabelny district collect signatures to preserve senior grades in their school
• Upper secondary school without classes: pilot from September 2026 in 150 lyceums, groups from 8 students