Top 10 most crowded schools in Bucharest by number of enrolled students in the 2025-2026 school year
By Raluca Ogaru
- Articles
- 31 MAY 26
Bucharest has some of the largest schools in Romania, and the pressure on educational infrastructure is most visible in neighbourhoods where parents look for schools with good results, a stable schedule, nearby after-school options and relatively easy access. In many areas, schools considered “good” end up attracting far more students than they can comfortably accommodate, and the effects can be seen in two-shift schedules, large classes, lack of classrooms and temporary solutions such as relocations, modular buildings or rented spaces.
For the 2025-2026 school year, overcrowding is especially important because the law provides that the educational process must take place in a maximum of two shifts. In practice, some schools in Bucharest have had to find “staggered” schedule solutions or reorganize classes precisely because the large number of students does not match the number of available classrooms.
One important clarification is needed: there is no centrally published, easy-to-consult official document listing the number of students enrolled in every school in Bucharest for the 2025-2026 school year. That is why the ranking below starts from the most recent nominal data published for schools, attributed to the Ministry of Education, and places it in context with the information available for the 2025-2026 school year, including cases documented by the press and data communicated by authorities.
Why these figures matter
The number of students in a school does not automatically show the quality of education, but it says a lot about the pressure placed on infrastructure. A school with more than 1,600 or 2,000 students needs many classrooms, many teachers, spaces for breaks, a gym, a large enough courtyard, clear entry and exit flows, traffic safety around the building and a well-organized schedule.
In Bucharest, school overcrowding is directly linked to real estate development, differences between neighbourhoods and the reputation of certain educational institutions. Parents try to enrol their children in schools with good results or a better image, and some schools quickly exceed the capacity for which they were originally designed.
The problem is not only administrative. For children, a very crowded school can mean afternoon classes, short breaks, crowded courtyards, limited access to laboratories and special rooms or less time for extracurricular activities. For parents, it can mean heavy traffic around the school, a difficult schedule and uncertainty at the beginning of the school year.
Top 10 lower secondary schools in Bucharest with the largest known student numbers
The ranking below uses the most recent nominal data published for schools in Bucharest, attributed to the Ministry of Education and cited in Wall-Street’s analysis of the most crowded schools and high schools in the capital. These figures provide a basis for comparing the schools with the largest student numbers, but they should be read together with the updated information available for 2025-2026, where such information exists.
Rank / School / Sector / Number of classes / Number of students, according to the most recent nominal public data
1 | Secondary School no. 195 | 3 | 94 | 2,349
2 | Secondary School no. 190 | 4 | 88 | 2,247
3 | Secondary School no. 97 | 4 | 83 | 2,164
4 | Secondary School no. 194 | 4 | 76 | 1,977
5 | Secondary School no. 56 | 2 | 65 | 1,751
6 | “Regina Maria” Secondary School | 6 | 65 | 1,745
7 | “Constantin Brâncuși” Secondary School | 6 | 65 | 1,705
8 | Secondary School no. 79 | 4 | 64 | 1,703
9 | Secondary School no. 88 | 3 | 73 | 1,666
10 | Secondary School no. 280 | 5 | 64 | 1,664
This ranking shows that the most crowded schools are not concentrated in a single district. Sector 4 appears strongly in the first part of the ranking, with Schools no. 190, 97, 194 and 79. Sector 3 has Secondary School no. 195, considered one of the largest educational institutions in the capital, as well as School no. 88. Sector 6 has two large schools, “Regina Maria” and “Constantin Brâncuși”, while Sector 5 appears with Secondary School no. 280, one of the schools widely discussed in the context of the 2025-2026 school year.
Secondary School no. 195, the most visible case
Secondary School no. 195 in Sector 3 is the best-known example of a very large school in Bucharest. In previously published nominal data, the school had 2,349 students and 94 classes, and in 2025 it was described in the press as “the largest school in the capital”. The situation became visible before the start of the 2025-2026 school year, when parents reported problems related to the timetable, extension works, modular buildings and schedule organization.
Edupedu wrote in August 2025 that students at Secondary School no. 195 still did not know exactly in which shift they would study, in the context of extension and modernization works. The school management stated at the time that, for the 2025-2026 school year, the institution had 39 functional classrooms, while Sector 3 City Hall was arranging modular buildings for teaching activities. The article can be consulted on Edupedu: The timetable of students at the largest school in Bucharest, Secondary School no. 195.
This case shows that overcrowding is not just a number in a table. It translates into concrete problems: timetable organization, temporary spaces, construction works during the school year, pressure on parents and the need for rapid administrative solutions. In the case of a school with more than 2,000 students, any infrastructure change affects hundreds of families.
Secondary School no. 280 and the staggered schedule issue
Secondary School no. 280 in Sector 5 is another important example for the 2025-2026 school year. In the ranking of the most crowded schools, the institution appears with 1,664 students and 64 classes in the most recent nominal public data. In 2025, the school’s situation was again publicly discussed because of the shift schedule and the lack of space.
According to Edupedu, the school principal explained in September 2025 that the institution had more than 1,600 students, 65 groups and only 29 classrooms. The solution announced for the beginning of the school year was a two-shift programme, but “staggered” across several time slots. The article can be consulted here: The principal of Secondary School no. 280 in Bucharest: “We have an overcrowded school with 65 groups in 29 classrooms”.
The case of School no. 280 is relevant because it shows the difference between the number of students and the actual available space. A school may have a large student body, but the problem becomes critical when the number of classrooms does not allow for a normal schedule. In the 2025-2026 school year, precisely such situations were at the centre of discussions about overcrowded schools in Bucharest.
What the law says about student shifts
Starting with the 2025-2026 school year, schools must operate in a maximum of two shifts. Pre-university Education Law no. 198/2023 provides that the educational process is carried out in a maximum of two shifts, and the application of this rule is scheduled from the 2025-2026 school year. This change has put pressure on very crowded schools, which in previous years sometimes operated in three shifts or with schedules that were difficult to manage.
Edupedu reported in February 2026, based on data sent by the Ministry of Education following a parliamentary question, that more than 156,000 students across the country study in two shifts in the 2025-2026 school year. The largest number is in Bucharest, over 39,000 students. The article can be consulted here: More than 156,000 students study in two shifts in the current 2025-2026 school year.
According to the same source, the Ministry of Education stated that school infrastructure falls under the responsibility of local public authorities. In other words, solutions for overcrowded schools do not depend only on the inspectorate or the ministry, but also on district city halls, which manage buildings and can build, extend, modernize or rent spaces.
Why some schools become overcrowded
One cause is reputation. Schools with good results at the National Evaluation, sought-after teachers or a strong image in the community attract more applications than their natural capacity. In Bucharest, parents closely follow results, recommendations from other families and the child’s chances of later getting into a good high school.
A second cause is real estate development. In some neighbourhoods, the number of homes has grown quickly, but school infrastructure has not kept the same pace. New apartment buildings, residential developments and young families appear, while the neighbourhood school remains the same or expands slowly. This creates large gaps between the number of children in the area and the school’s capacity.
A third cause is the unequal distribution of educational options. In some neighbourhoods, there are several good schools or enough places, while in others parents concentrate on one or two schools considered safer or better. The result is imbalance: some schools become overcrowded, while others face less pressure.
What a crowded school means for students and parents
For students, a crowded school can mean afternoon classes, classes starting at unusual intervals, full courtyards, difficult access to laboratories or gyms and fewer relaxation spaces. In cases where construction works are taking place, the situation can be even more complicated: noise, dust, modular buildings or temporary reorganizations.
For parents, the effect is visible in the daily schedule. If a child starts classes at noon or in the afternoon, organizing work, meals and extracurricular activities becomes more difficult. In neighbourhoods with very large schools, morning and midday traffic intensifies, especially if many children are brought by car.
For teachers and school administration, overcrowding means additional pressure on timetables, classrooms, supervision, safety and communication with parents. A large school is not automatically a weak school, but it needs much stricter organization than a school with fewer students.
What to remember
The most crowded schools in Bucharest are institutions with more than 1,600 students, and the top of the ranking includes schools such as Secondary School no. 195, Secondary School no. 190, Secondary School no. 97, Secondary School no. 194 and Secondary School no. 280. The available nominal public data shows very large student numbers, while cases documented in the 2025-2026 school year confirm that overcrowding remains a real problem.
For the 2025-2026 school year, the most important change is the requirement for schools to operate in a maximum of two shifts. This rule has forced overcrowded schools to find solutions: extensions, modular buildings, rented spaces, staggered schedules or the reorganization of study groups.
For parents, a top of the most crowded schools should be read carefully. A large school may have good results and appreciated teachers, but it can also come with a complicated schedule, traffic, lack of space and administrative pressure. In Bucharest, choosing a school is not only about reputation, but also about proximity, real capacity, schedule and concrete conditions for the child.
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