What share of schools in Kuala Lumpur are primary schools?

Primary schools make up 64% of the government schools in Kuala Lumpur (186 of 290); the national share is 76%. There is one government secondary school for every 1.8 primary schools.

Education in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: official figures

Kuala Lumpur had 290 government primary and secondary schools in mid-2025 according to the Ministry of Education, 2.8% of the 10,238 in Malaysia; they are made up of 186 primary and 104 secondary schools. Private and international schools are not included.

Government schools

290

2025

How many primary and secondary schools are there in Kuala Lumpur?

186 government primary schools operated in Kuala Lumpur in mid-2025, 2.4% of the 7,778 in Malaysia, and 104 government secondary schools, 4.2% of the 2,460 in Malaysia.

Source: Ministry of Education Malaysia · saved copy

Does Kuala Lumpur have enough schools?

There are 7.4 government schools for every 10,000 residents aged 5 to 19 in Kuala Lumpur (2025), 3rd lowest among the 16 areas; about 1,351 residents of that age for each school. The figure for Malaysia is 13.0 schools per 10,000.

Source: Ministry of Education Malaysia · saved copy

Is the number of schools in Kuala Lumpur changing?

The number of government primary and secondary schools in Kuala Lumpur fell from 298 in 2018 to 290 in mid-2025 (-8); Malaysia moved from 10,207 to 10,238.

Source: Ministry of Education Malaysia · saved copy

What universities and colleges are there in Kuala Lumpur?

Kuala Lumpur has 2 public universities in 2025, out of 187 public higher education institutions (universities, polytechnics, community colleges and teacher training institutes) in Malaysia.

Source: Ministry of Education Malaysia · saved copy

How Kuala Lumpur compares with other federal territories

Government primary and secondary schools, mid-2025 (2025)

Kuala Lumpur ranks 13 of 16, highest first. Counts government primary (sekolah rendah kerajaan) and secondary (sekolah menengah kerajaan) schools; private and international schools are not included.

Rank	Region	Government primary and secondary schools, mid-2025
10	Negeri Sembilan	479
11	Penang	396
12	Melaka	318
13	Kuala Lumpur	290
14	Perlis	104
15	Labuan	28
16	Putrajaya	27

Source: Ministry of Education Malaysia · saved copy

Government schools per 10,000 residents aged 5 to 19, mid-2025 (2025)

Kuala Lumpur ranks 14 of 16, highest first. Schools divided by the 2025 mid-year estimate of residents aged 5 to 19 (DOSM population estimate).

Rank	Region	Government schools per 10,000 residents aged 5 to 19, mid-2025
10	Johor	12.3
11	Penang	11.5
12	Kelantan	11.1
13	Labuan	10.6
14	Kuala Lumpur	7.4
15	Putrajaya	6.3
16	Selangor	6.2

Source: Ministry of Education Malaysia · saved copy

Residents aged 5 to 19 for each government school, 2025 (2025)

Kuala Lumpur ranks 3 of 16, highest first. A rough measure of how many young residents each school serves; includes children who attend private schools.

Rank	Region	Residents aged 5 to 19 for each government school, 2025
1	Selangor	1,620
2	Putrajaya	1,585
3	Kuala Lumpur	1,351
4	Labuan	943
5	Kelantan	902
6	Penang	873
7	Johor	816

Source: Ministry of Education Malaysia · saved copy

Public higher education institutions, 2025 (2025)

Kuala Lumpur ranks 4 of 16, highest first. Public universities (IPTA), polytechnics, community colleges and teacher training institutes.

Rank	Region	Public higher education institutions, 2025
1	Selangor	4
2	Johor	2
3	Terengganu	2
4	Kuala Lumpur	2
5	Kedah	1
6	Kelantan	1
7	Melaka	1

Source: Ministry of Education Malaysia · saved copy

More on Kuala Lumpur: overview · economy and jobs · health · poverty and living standards · Malaysia

Sources

Ministry of Education Malaysia: Public Education Institutions by District: government primary and secondary schools (EMIS) and public higher education institutions, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 22a8ac4b1fa4…)

Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.