THE Department of Education – Davao Region (DepEd-Davao) expects around 1.3 million students to enroll for School Year (SY) 2025–2026, according to its spokesperson Jenielito “Dodong” Atillo.
Of the projected total, approximately 739,755 are expected to be in elementary school and 399,769 in junior high school. The rest will come from senior high school, with exact enrollment figures for that level still pending.
In the previous academic year, 2024–2025, DepEd-Davao recorded 1,345,342 enrollees across all levels, with 754,719 in elementary, 388,478 in junior high, and 202,145 in senior high school. For SY 2023–2024, the region had about 40,663 teaching personnel and 3,898 teaching-related and non-teaching staff.
Atillo underscored the importance of early enrollment, saying it allows the department to anticipate and prepare for the needs of incoming students. To support this, DepEd-Davao will again implement programs such as Oplan Balik Eskwela and Brigada Eskwela.
“We will be gathering data during the appropriate schedule and once the data is in, maklaro na namo unsa ang amoang atubangon sa maabutay nga tuig (we can see what we will be facing in the coming year),” Atillo said during the Davao Peace and Security Press Corps briefing held on April 23, 2025, at The Royal Mandaya Hotel.
He noted that the expected increase in enrollees is due in part to the region’s growing population. He also announced that classes for the 2025–2026 school year will begin on June 16, 2025, and end on March 31, 2026. The academic calendar has been reverted to its original schedule following requests from various sectors.
In addition, Atillo addressed concerns regarding dilapidated classrooms in some schools, saying that these cannot be immediately declared as such without proper inspection. Once a classroom is officially assessed and confirmed by an engineer, it will be scheduled for replacement. RGP
