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The global education Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 4) aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for all.[1]How to achieve balanced access to quality basic education across regions has therefore become a shared challenge in education governance worldwide.
In 2025, China introduced the policy of County-Level High School Revitalization, which was selected as one of the country’s top ten education news stories of the year. The initiative represents a new effort to improve the quality of county-level high school education and promote the balanced development of quality basic education.
What are “county-level high schools”?
“County-level high schools” refer to general senior secondary schools run by countiesor county-level cities. [2]In China’s education system, senior secondary education comes after nine years of compulsory education (primary and junior secondary education) and before higher education, serving as a critical transition for academic pathways and future career choices.
County-level high schools have long borne the main responsibility for providing secondary education to the majority of the population. Nearly half of general high schools in China are located in county areas, and about 60 percent of students are enrolled in county-level high schools.[3]
Why should China revitalize county-level high schools?
In recent years, educators and researchers have increasingly drawn attention to the challenges facing county-level high schools, prompting concern among education authorities. With rapid urbanization, educational resources have become increasingly concentrated in more developed cities. As a result, some county-level high schools have experienced a continuous outflow of high-performing students and qualified teachers, declining admission outcomes, and a widening gap in resources compared with urban high schools. This trend marked by declining educational quality, reputation and overall competitiveness, has been described as the phenomenon of “county high school collapse”[4]
In fact, county-level high schools had already been included in earlier government efforts to improve school conditions and expand access during the nationwide push to universalize senior secondary education. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, targeted programs to improve county-level high schools helped alleviate shortages in infrastructure and facilities. However, compared with high schools in more developed regions and major cities, county-level high schools have continued to lag behind in learning environments, teaching quality, teacher capacity, and institutional support.[2]
To further balancethe development between urban and rural education, the Planning Outline of Building a Leading Country in Education (2024–2035) calls for the in-depth implementation of a county-level high school revitalization plan. In 2025, the Ministry of Education, together with five other national departments, issued the Action Plan on Revitalizing County-Level High Schools, signaling a stronger and more systematic policy commitment to advancing high-quality development in this sector.
How will county-level high schools be revitalized?
County-level high school revitalization is not a single policy, but a comprehensive education governance strategy aligned with China’s goal of promoting balanced and high-quality development in basic education. The strategy seeks to improve the educational ecosystem of county-level high schools and enhance their capacity and attractiveness through coordinated and sustained efforts.[2]
The Action Plan on Revitalizing County-Level High Schools, released in September 2025, clearly identifies county-level high schools as a focal point for building an equitable and high-quality basic education system. Through expanding educational resources, improving school conditions, strengthening the teaching workforce, advancing educational digitalization, and promoting paired assistance between schools, the plan aims to narrow development gaps between urban and rural high schools, and foster a diverse, high-quality, and distinctive senior secondary education landscape by 2030.
Editor: HAN Baiqing, UNESCO-TEC
References:
[1] UNESCO. (2016). Education 2030: Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all[R/OL]. Paris: UNESCO, 1-84 [2026-02-10]. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000245656.
[2]Ministry of Education, National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Finance, et al. (2025). Circular on Issuing the Action Plan for the Revitalization of County-Level General High Schools[EB/OL]. (2025-09-18)[2026-02-10]. https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/202509/content_7042405.htm.
[3] Lin, H. X. (2025). Empowering County-Level General High Schools to Become Strong and Excellent: An Interpretation of the Action Plan for the Revitalization of County-Level General High Schools [N/OL]. China Education News, 2025-09-27 (01)[2026-02-10]. https://paper.jyb.cn/zgjyb/html/2025-09/27/content_144740_18926450.htm.
[4] Wang, D., Wang, Z. W., & Yin, Z. X. (2023). The Regional Heterogeneity, Causes and Policy Governance Path of Collapse in County High School[J]. Research in Educational Development, 43(02), 20-27.
