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Since the onset of the war in February 2022, more Ukrainian children and youth have gradually enrolled in the education systems of their host countries.   

Over the past three years, the number of Ukrainian learners enrolled in formal schooling in European host countries in the region has steadily increased, rising from 289,412 in 2022 to 664,620 in 2024. The enrolment rate has reached 78 per cent, based on data collected from 10 host countries in the recent SEIS (Social Economic Insights Survey) conducted by UNHCR. Of these enrolled children and youth, half are enrolled exclusively in formal schools in their host country, and 29 per cent are enrolled in both formal schooling and Ukrainian online education. Among the remainder, who are not enrolled in host country schools, 16 per cent are enrolled in Ukrainian online education only, while 6 per cent are not engaged in any learning opportunities. Enrollment in formal education has increased across most countries with comparable data for 2022-23 and 2023-24 (ranging from 3 per cent increase in Czechia to 26 per cent increase in Bulgaria), while enrollment in online education has declined, with Slovakia seeing the most significant decrease (31 percentage points). 

Despite overall progress in enrollment in formal schooling in host countries, ensuring equitable access for all Ukrainian learners remains a challenge, with the largest disparities linked to language barriers, disability status, and time spent in host countries.  

Children and youth who reported beginner abilities in the language of instruction of the host country had enrollment rates nearly 50 percentage points lower than those with intermediate and advanced language skills. Disparities were also observed for children and youth with disabilities (19 percentage points lower enrolment than their peers without disabilities) and recent arrivals (30 percentage points lower for those who arrived within the past year compared to those who have been present for two or more years). 

Children who attend formal education in host countries and simultaneously follow the Ukrainian curriculum online face an intense workload.  

Approximately 29% of Ukrainian students follow a dual education pathway, balancing both host country and Ukrainian curricula. A quarter of Ukrainian learners participating in both education systems spend more than three hours daily on online learning to follow the Ukrainian curriculum, on top of their regular school hours.  

While significant strides have been made in expanding educational access, more data is needed to fully understand the holistic learning outcomes and well-being of Ukrainian refugee students.   

Despite data collection efforts to measure access to education, there is still little evidence on how well Ukrainian students are learning and adapting in their host countries. To assess how effectively current policies and programmes are meeting the needs of Ukrainian learners, more comprehensive data is needed on both their academic progress and holistic well-being. In Poland, the only country with available data on learning outcomes disaggregated for students from Ukraine, test scores indicate that Ukrainian students generally do not perform at the same level as their Polish peers across most subjects. However, this gap has narrowed each year since 2022. This underscores the need for more data, evidence, and research to understand what has worked and why, and to better inform policies and programmes to support Ukrainian learners moving forward.