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Seoul office of education to offer financial support to single-sex schools that become coed

Published: 08 Apr. 2026, 07:00

Students at a middle school in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, study in their classroom on Sept. 4, 2025. [YONHAP]

Are all-girls and all-boys schools slowly becoming obsolete? More single-sex schools in Seoul are switching to a coeducational system as student numbers decline and new policies take effect. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education plans to expand administrative and financial support for schools that undergo this transition to ease their financial burdens and help them adjust to the curriculum changes.

From the 2013 academic year to the 2026 academic year, 25 single-sex middle and high schools in Seoul have become coeducational, with the pace of conversion accelerating in the last three years, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on Tuesday.

Both the decline in student population and the introduction of the high school course credit system have contributed to this shift. The high school course credit system allows students to choose their own courses and earn credits toward graduation, meaning that schools must offer a wider range of classes, which has made single-sex school structures less practical.

Three schools — Jangchung Middle School, Geumho Middle School, formerly Geumho Girls’ Middle School, and Jamsil High School — joined the list of coeducational schools in the 2026 academic year.

Seven schools converted in the 2025 academic year. The list showed two middle schools — Garam Middle School, attached to Dongguk University’s College of Education, formerly Dongguk University Girls’ Middle School, and Songgok Middle School, formerly Songgok Girls’ Middle School — and five high schools, including Garam High School, attached to Dongguk University’s College of Education, formerly Dongguk University Girls’ High School, and Seongdong Global Management High School.

Three schools — Mirim Meister School, Yumkwang Meditech High School and Seoul Hong Shin High School — made the switch in the 2024 academic year.

Students exit an exam venue at Ewha Womans University in Seodaemun District, western Seoul. [NEWS1]

A total of 231 of 709 middle and high schools, or 32.6 percent, in Seoul operated as single-sex schools in the 2026 academic year. Middle schools accounted for 86 out of 390 schools, or 22.1 percent, and high schools accounted for 145 out of 319 schools, or 45.5 percent. The share of single-sex high schools is more than twice that of middle schools.

Single-sex schools are more common among private institutions. For public high schools, 96 out of 116 schools, or 82.8 percent, are coeducational. For private high schools, only 75 out of 200 schools, or 37.5 percent, are coeducational, while 125 schools, or 62.5 percent, remain single-sex.

Private schools have been slower to switch to a coeducational system because they place importance on their founding principles and historical background.

As a result, some regions have a concentration of boys’ or girls’ schools. Students in those areas often have to commute long distances, and imbalances in the number of male and female students at each school make student guidance more difficult.

Students at a high school in Daejeon take an exam on Sept. 3, 2025. [KIM SUNG-TAE]

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will offer up to 300 million won ($200,000) in administrative and financial support over three years to same-sex schools that adopt a coeducational system.

The funding covers facility improvements, such as renovating restrooms and installing changing rooms, as well as program costs and staffing. It also includes 80 million won per year — for a total of 240 million won — for programs aimed at reducing gender gaps, and 20 million won per year — for a total of 60 million won — for student guidance and counseling personnel.

Schools that apply for the funding will be allowed to choose whether to make the change in the 2027 or 2028 academic year.

Schools that choose 2028 will have more than one year to prepare, allowing time for facility upgrades, including construction work, teacher training and other preparations.

Applications will be accepted until late May. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will review student placement plans and feasibility and finalize the list of accepted schools in July.

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.
BY LEE HOO-YEON [[email protected]]