Education

Since the beginning of the millennium, there has been a rapid increase in the number of students in ultra-Orthodox education frameworks, reaching around 402,000 in the 2023-2024 school year, including in both elementary and secondary education. Ultra-Orthodox education now constitutes 26% of the Hebrew-language (Jewish) education system in Israel, and 20% of the entire Israeli education system.

The last decade has seen several systemic and structural changes in ultra- Orthodox education, including the establishment of the Haredi Department in the Ministry of Education and of the State-Haredi education stream. Only 4.5% of Haredi schools are State schools; 73% are not defined as State schools but are "recognized" by the State under the compulsory education law, and 22.5% — schools which are "exempt" from the compulsory education law.

In the 2021-2022 school year, 72% of ultra-Orthodox girls took at least one matriculation (Bagrut) exam, representing an increase of 10 percentage points since the 2019-2020 school year, and compared with just 31% a decade earlier, in 2008–2009. However, during the same period, the percentage of boys taking matriculation exams remained stable, at only 16%, as compared with 85% in the State and State-religious education streams.

There are four tracks in the post-secondary education system for Haredi men: studies in a yeshiva; studies in a kollel (full time advanced Torah study frameworks for married men); academic studies; and vocational training. For ultra-Orthodox women, the options are studying in a "seminar" (ultra-Orthodox post-secondary educational institutions, which also offer vocational training) or pursuing academic studies. Between 2013–2023, there was a 83% increase in the number of yeshiva and kollel students (males) in Israel, reaching 169,366 in 2023. This rise likely stemmed from increased state support for these students, which also brought to a halt the trend of more and more ultra-Orthodox men into the workforce.

The number of Haredi students in higher education frameworks has grown rapidly and dramatically. Between 2010 and 2024, their number grew by 274%, compared with a 18% increase in the overall number of students in Israel. In 2009– 2010, ultra-Orthodox students constituted around 2% of the total student body; this leaped to 5% by 2023–2024. During this 14-year period, the number of ultra- Orthodox students rose by an average of 10% annually.

The total number of Haredi students in higher education stood at around 17,400 in 2023-2024. The subjects they choose to study are mostly practical and those that allow them to work within the ultra-Orthodox community or to enter professions that are in demand in the labor market (such as teaching and education, paramedical professions, business administration, and law). Haredi students choose mainly to attend colleges due to their lower entry requirements, and only 11% study at universities (not including the Open University)—compared with 35% of other Jewish students. The dropout rate of ultra-Orthodox students between the first and second year of academic studies has fallen in recent years and is now equivalent to the dropout rate among other Jewish students. The number of Haredi students in technological vocational training (under the auspices of MAHAT, the Government Institute for Technology and Science Training) stood at more than 8,600 in 2023.