Exemption to Schools from Section Strength Limit of 40 Students in case of transfers of Defense/Central govt. employees: CBSE Circular
CENTRAL BOARD OF SECONDARY EDUCATION
(An Autonomous Organisation under the Ministry of Education, Govt. of India)
CBSE/Aff./Circular/2025
Dated: 21.07.2025
Circular No. 11/2025
To
All the Heads & Managers of CBSE Affiliated Schools
Subject: Exemption to School(s) from alignment of Section student strength to 40 per Section in exceptional circumstances.
This is in continuation to the Board’s Circular Ref No. CBSE/ CE/ CIRCULAR/ 2023 dated 02.08.2023 wherein, the Board had decided to relax the number of students per section from 40 to 45 for a period of 3 years (Session 2023-24, 2024-2025 & 2025-2026) to rationalise the number of students who were already enrolled in the school. It was expected that the schools would rationalise and restrict students’ intake in each section as per Affiliation bye-laws by regulating admissions in junior classes in the forthcoming years. Subsequently, vide Board’s Circular No. 07/2024 dated 31.05.2024, it was decided that in partial modification to the circular dated 02.08.2023 in such cases where on account of transfer of the parents from one station to another, the students are likely to join in a class in mid-session and also students who fall under essential repeat (ER) category, the schools may have students more than the prescribed limit of 40 in one section up to a limit of 45. However, this exception shall be available on a case-to-case basis for which the school shall apply to the concerned Regional Office.
2.The Board has received various representations from schools conveying the difficulty in granting admission, beyond the limit of 40 students per section on account of the following issues: –
a. On account of transfer of parents from one station to another, especially in the cases of the parent(s) being employed in the defence services, central government employees; PSUs, private sector organisations
b. Essential repeat cases,
c. For improving performance
d. On account of the critical medical conditions,
e. Shifting from hostel etc.
3. However, due to the limitation of 40 students per section, the schools face difficulty in accommodating such cases of direct admissions. Accordingly, the matter to allow schools to register upto 45 students in a section has been considered and the following guidelines schools to take admissions in exceptional circumstances upto 45 beyond the prescribed number of 40 as per clause 4.8 of the Affiliation Bye-laws-2018 of the Board are being issued:
i. The schools in exceptional circumstances may register students beyond the prescribed limit of 40, as laid down in clause 4.8 of Affiliation Bye-Laws-2018 of the Board, in a section up to a maximum limit of 45 students from classes I-XII.
ii. The schools shall record the reasons for such admissions beyond the limit of 40 in each section in the portal at the time of registration of students for classes IX- XII. The same shall also be recorded in the Admission & Withdrawal Register at the time of taking their admissions.
iii. In case the school takes admission of students beyond the prescribed limit of 40 up to a maximum limit of 45 students in classes I-VIII, then the school shall record the reasons in the Admission Withdrawal Register of the school.
iv. The school shall also record the reasons of exceptional circumstances for granting admission beyond the prescribed limit of 40 and up to a maximum limit of 45 students for all classes wherever applicable in the OASIS Portal.
v. No school shall admit students over and above 45 students per sections, under any circumstances.
4.The school shall take admission up to maximum limit of 45 students provided the classroom size is not less than 500 sq feet. The school shall ensure the availability of. one square meter Built-up floor area per child in the class rooms as per Clause 4.8 of the Affiliation Bye Laws-2018 of the Board in letter and spirit.
5.Further, the schools are also advised to continuously strive to augment their physical infrastructure to the extent possible and may construct additional classrooms so that the optimum enrolment in a section is kept up to 40 students in a section as per clause 4.8 of the Affiliation Bye-Laws of the Board to ensure that the learning outcomes of the schools are not affected.
This issues with the orders of the Competent Authority of the Board.
(Himanshu Gupta)
Secretary
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