As the secondary-school application campaign approaches, the issue of class sizes in small towns is once again coming into focus. In Dryanovo, however, the problem is particularly painful, after the Regional Education Department published the number of pupils completing primary education and the number of available places in Year 8 at the town’s two secondary schools.

The situation is a classic example of the gap between reality and planned admissions.

According to the Regional Education Department, 39 pupils in the municipality will complete primary education this summer. At the same time, the state admissions plan provides 52 places at the town’s two secondary schools – one class at Maxim Raykovich Secondary School and one at Racho Stoyanov Vocational School of Economics and Technology.

A shortfall from the start

Even if every Year 7 pupil remained in Dryanovo, the system would start with a shortfall of 13 students.

In reality, the situation is even less favourable. Some pupils traditionally choose to continue their education in larger centres such as Gabrovo and Veliko Tarnovo. That widens the gap and puts the long-term viability of the classes into question.

This is not a new problem. During the current school year, Racho Stoyanov Vocational School of Economics and Technology has just nine final-year students.

The issue is not simply that Dryanovo is a small town. At Paisiy Hilendarski Secondary School in Gabrovo, one class also has nine students. The underlying problem is a long-term contraction driven by the severe demographic situation in the Gabrovo region, which cannot easily be addressed through administrative decisions alone.

In step with the local economy

Despite the shortage of pupils, the specialisations offered in Dryanovo correspond to the needs of the local economy, according to a statement by Dryanovo municipality prepared during the discussion of this year’s state admissions plan for secondary schools.

The municipality identifies three main areas in need of specialists: software and hardware activities; business administration as a broad field; and mechanical engineering, mechatronics and metallurgy.

The municipality bases its position on the profile of local businesses, particularly the companies that have developed most strongly in the area.

At Maxim Raykovich Secondary School, the proposed profile is “Integration of Digital Technologies”.

At Racho Stoyanov Vocational School of Economics and Technology, the options are “Automated Systems and Technologies in Mechanical Engineering” and “Management and Economics”.

They correspond to the municipality’s stated needs for workers in industry, administration and the technology sector, while also offering practical training, as both programmes are delivered through dual education.

A lack of economic momentum

And this is where the broader problem becomes clear: there is not enough economic momentum to retain both students and the specialists they are being trained to become.

Data from the Institute for Market Economics show that between 2020 and 2024, direct foreign investment in Dryanovo amounted to just €1.3m.

By comparison, investment reached €2.3m in Tryavna, €117m in Gabrovo and €367m in Sevlievo.

This is not simply a statistic. It directly affects young people’s decisions. Where there is investment, there are jobs, higher incomes and prospects for development. That makes young people more likely to stay.

In towns such as Dryanovo, education becomes part of a closed cycle: schools train people for an economy that is not growing quickly enough to employ them.

The result is a structural imbalance – more “places on paper” than actual pupils, and more trained young people than the local labour market can retain.

That leads to municipal funding being used to keep classes open, compromises in educational provision and, ultimately, the continued departure of younger generations.

The bad news is that Dryanovo is far from the only small Bulgarian town facing these problems. But it is a telling example of how, without real investment and sustainable economic growth, even the most carefully planned admissions strategy is difficult to make work.