CBSE Limits Class Strength to 45 Students per Section – No Exceptions Allowed

Previously, CBSE allowed up to 45 students per section in exceptional situations, such as mid-sessional transfers, students repeating a year (essential repetition category), etc.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued a strict directive stating that no CBSE-affiliated school may enroll more than 45 students in any class section, ending the previous flexibility that allowed for exceeding this limit. Any exceptions beyond this limit are no longer permitted under any circumstances.

Previously, the CBSE allowed up to 45 students per section in exceptional situations, such as mid-year transfers, students repeating a year (Essential Repetition category), serious medical conditions, transitions from residential to day students, or readmissions due to academic improvement. However, the new Circular has repealed this flexibility: the limit of 45 students is now the absolute maximum per section from Year 1 to Year 12.

Under the previous agreement, schools were required to seek case-by-case approval from the regional office for such additional admissions, while maintaining proper documentation both in their records and on CBSE portals such as OASIS and SARAS.

The revised circular reinforces that even exceptional cases cannot exceed 45 students, and all admissions above 40 must be fully documented and justified according to policy, with no further exceptions permitted.

The CBSE has also confirmed that classrooms with more than 40 students must have a minimum floor area of 500 square feet, with a floor area of at least one square meter per student, in accordance with Clause 4.8 of its Affiliation Regulations 2018. Schools are advised to improve infrastructure or increase classroom capacity to meet the long-term standard of 40 students per section, which will need to be restored once the situation normalizes..

School administrators across the country must ensure strict compliance with the updated rules. The CBSE could take action against schools that violate this limit during inspections. The board emphasized that the relaxation of the limit was always a temporary and transitional measure, valid until the 2025-26 academic year, with the expectation of returning to the ideal of 40 students per section in due course.