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State Education Intelligence Report, June 2026

Karnataka's Education Decade

By Aurobindo Saxena, Founder, RAYSolute Consultants. Updated Sep 2026

2014 to 2024 to 2026, read against official data: India's fastest-compounding premium-board market, a higher-education system anchored by globally ranked research institutions, and a Bengaluru technology corridor that drives demand no other southern state can match. Where the open opportunity for new institutions sits in 2026.

1,845

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) schools (2026)

509

Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) schools (2026)

94

Universities (2024-25)

5,013

Colleges (2024-25)

13.6%

Cambridge Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR), fastest board
The Decade in One View School Education Higher Education Landmark Institutions The Policy Spine What It Means
The Decade in One View

Karnataka's Institutions, 2014 versus 2026

This page is a decade comparison. Between 2014 and 2026 every category of institution in Karnataka grew, but the rates differ sharply and the rate is what matters for an entry decision. The chart below sets every category against 2014 and 2026 on one scale, with the decade compound annual growth rate (CAGR) marked as an arrow above each.

The read: the fastest compounding sits in the international-school tier: Cambridge (CAIE) at 13.6% and International Baccalaureate (IB) at 11.0% a year, with CBSE at 10.1%. ICSE, already a large base for a southern state, grew 5.2%. Universities compounded at 7.2% and colleges at 3.3%. Growth is fastest exactly where premium supply is thinnest.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Karnataka had 1,845 CBSE-affiliated schools in 2026, up from 579 in 2014, a net addition of 1,266 schools at a compound annual growth rate of 10.1% (Source: CBSE/SARAS registry, 2026 RAYSolute universe).
Cambridge (CAIE) is Karnataka's fastest-growing board at a 13.6% compound annual growth rate (23 schools in 2014 to 106 in 2026), followed by International Baccalaureate (IB) at 11.0% and CBSE at 10.1%, reflecting Bengaluru's international workforce demand (Source: board registries; 2026 RAYSolute universe).
Karnataka's International Baccalaureate (IB) schools grew from 10 in 2014 to 35 in 2026 (11.0% CAGR), and Cambridge (CAIE) schools grew from 23 to 106 (13.6% CAGR) over the same period (Source: IB and Cambridge registries; 2026 RAYSolute universe).
Karnataka's universities compounded at 7.2% a year and colleges at 3.3% between 2014 and 2026, slower than the state's premium school-board tiers, where growth is fastest exactly where supply is thinnest (Source: University Grants Commission (UGC) and AISHE).