Over 1,200 students hospitalized for mental issues in single semester last year: Education Institute
A KEDI report found more than 1,200 students were hospitalized for mental health conditions in one semester, making such issues the leading cause of grade repetition.
An elementary classroom is seen empty in Seoul as some schoolteachers take leave of absence on Sept. 4, 2023.NEWS1
Mental health issues among school-age children were found to be the leading cause of grade repetition, with more than 1,000 students hospitalized for an extended period in the first semester of last year alone, according to a Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI) report on Monday.
A total of 1,268 students from elementary, middle and high schools nationwide were admitted to hospitals for mental health conditions in the first semester of 2025, data from 17 regional education offices showed.
The number of students hospitalized over the full year is expected to exceed 2,000, as the survey only covered a single semester.
The institute also added the figure likely falls short of the actual number, as it excluded students who needed inpatient psychiatric care but could not be admitted due to a lack of beds for young patients.
By school level, middle schoolers accounted for the largest share, with 602 hospitalizations, followed by 569 high schoolers and 97 elementary school students.
By region, Gyeonggi recorded the highest number at 266, followed by Seoul with 169, South Gyeongsang with 141, Busan with 128, Daegu with 97 and Incheon with 87.
High school students take a state-wide mock college entrance exam at a school in southern Seoul on June 4.JOINT PRESS CORPS
The data also suggested that students hospitalized for mental health conditions faced significant challenges in maintaining regular school attendance.
Their average number of absences per semester was 31.5 days. Of them, an average of 20.9 days was attributable to psychiatric hospitalization.
While 55.3 percent of the hospitalized students, or 701 individuals, missed 30 days or fewer, 8.8 percent, or 111 students, were absent for more than 60 days.
Students are required to attend at least two-thirds of the annual school days to advance to upper grade under the Enforcement Decree of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Under the current scheme, missing more than 60 days of school significantly increases a student's likelihood of repeating a grade. Those absent for 60 days in the first semester alone are effectively considered at high risk of grade retention.
Mental health issues were, in fact, the single largest factor behind students repeating a grade.
Some 576 elementary, middle and high school students repeated a grade during the first semester of last year, according to the institute. Of them, 123 students, or 21.5 percent, cited their mental health issues.
The number exceeded every other reported reason for grade retention, including difficulty adjusting to school life, which accounted for 114 students, studying abroad with 99, and enrollment in unaccredited alternative education institutions with 60.
“Other reasons, such as difficulty adjusting to school life or refusing to attend school, are also closely linked to mental well-being,” the institute said,concluding that mental health problems act as both direct and indirect drivers of grade retention.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
