Yeshiva classroom (illustrative)
Yeshiva classroom (illustrative)Arutz Sheva: Flash 90

As the new school year gets underway across the country, it is becoming clear that more Israeli Jews than ever are choosing religious education for their children. Both the hareidi-religious and religious-Zionist school systems saw an increase in enrollment, while secular schools saw a drop.

Last year, 662,721 children were enrolled in Israel's non-religious public school system. This September, enrollment has dropped to 660,412, despite an overall increase in the total number of students.

In the public-religious school system, on the other hand, enrollment has grown by 0.9%, going from 207,447 last school year to 209,310.

The hareidi-religious system of recognized non-public schools experienced the fastest growth by far, with enrollment up by 3.76% in just one year. In total, 230,692 pupils joined the hareidi-religious system this year, up from 222,325 the year before.

Total enrollment is up by 0.75%, as Israel's population continues to grow. Last year 1,139,841 students were enrolled in Jewish schools in Israel; this year that number has grown to 1,148,429.