# What is the RTE 25% quota?

> The RTE 25% quota is Section 12(1)(c) of the RTE Act. Which schools it covers, the class it starts in, how fees are reimbursed, and mistakes to avoid.

_Source: https://scoolin.com/glossary/rte-quota_

_By Scoolin_

[Home](https://scoolin.com/) [Glossary](https://scoolin.com/glossary) RTE 25% quota

[School glossary](https://scoolin.com/glossary)

The seats, at least 25% of the entry class, that private unaided schools must give to children from weaker and disadvantaged groups under the RTE Act.

## What the RTE 25% quota means

The RTE 25% quota is the rule in Section 12(1)(c) of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009. It says certain schools “shall admit in class I, to the extent of at least twenty-five per cent. of the strength of that class, children belonging to weaker section and disadvantaged group in the neighbourhood and provide free and compulsory elementary education till its completion”.[1] Elementary education means classes 1 to 8.[1]

The rule covers two kinds of school: unaided schools that get no aid or grants from the government, and “specified category” schools such as Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas and Sainik Schools.[1] Aided schools have a different duty under Section 12(1)(b), tied to the share of their costs the government pays, with a minimum of 25%.

**Pre-primary counts too.** Where a school has pre-school classes, the Act applies the same rule to admission into pre-school.[1] The quota then starts at the school’s first class, not at class 1.

## Where the school office meets it

- **The state’s notification.** The Act leaves it to the “appropriate Government” to notify the income limit for the weaker section and the groups counted as disadvantaged. The Act itself names Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and socially and educationally backward classes.[1] Each state’s list and limit differ, so read your own.
- **Admission season.** Applications under the quota follow the state’s process and calendar.
- **Reimbursement.** An unaided school is reimbursed for these children at the per-child expenditure incurred by the State or the amount it actually charges the child, whichever is less, in the manner the state prescribes.[1]
- **UDISE+.** The 2025-26 data form asks whether a private unaided school takes admissions under the quota, and for each student, whether they were admitted under it and the amount claimed from the government.[2]

## What the school has to do

1. Work out at least 25% of the entry class’s strength, and keep those seats for the state’s process.
2. Admit children without any test or interview. The Act bans any “screening procedure”, which it defines as any method of selection other than a random one.[1]
3. Charge no capitation fee. The Act punishes it with a fine of up to ten times the fee charged.[1]
4. Don’t turn a child away for want of a birth certificate. The Act says no child shall be denied admission “for lack of age proof”.[1]
5. Keep each child free of fees until they finish class 8.
6. Keep a clean list of quota students for UDISE+ and for the reimbursement claim.

Scoolin lets the office mark a student as on an RTE 25% seat, so that list is one filter away.

## Common mistakes

- **Counting 25% of the whole school.** The Act counts it on “the strength of that class”, the entry class.[1]
- **Stopping after primary.** The duty runs till the child completes elementary education, which is class 8.[1]
- **Interviewing the child or the parents.** That is screening. The fine is up to ₹25,000 for a first offence and up to ₹50,000 for each one after.[1]
- **Charging “other” fees.** The Act says no child shall pay any fee or charges that may prevent them from completing elementary education.[1]
- **Treating 25% as a ceiling.** The words are “at least twenty-five per cent”.[1]

## Related terms

- [5+3+3+4 structure](https://scoolin.com/glossary/5-3-3-4-structure): NEP 2020’s stages, which place classes 1 and 2 in the foundational stage.
- [School leaving certificate](https://scoolin.com/glossary/school-leaving-certificate): the RTE Act also sets rules on TCs for classes 1 to 8.
- [UDISE+](https://scoolin.com/glossary/udise-plus): where quota admissions are reported.
- [Admission number](https://scoolin.com/glossary/admission-number): quota students get one like every other student.

## Sources

1. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, [Gazette of India text](https://ncpcr.gov.in/public/uploads/165648731362bbfd919b782_right-of-children-to-free-and-compulsory-education-act-2009.pdf) (copy on the NCPCR website), sections 2(d), 2(e), 2(f), 2(n), 2(o), 2(p), 3(2), 12, 13 and 14. Back to the text
2. Department of School Education and Literacy, [UDISE+ Data Capture Format for 2025-26](https://edudel.nic.in/upload/upload_2025_26/437_46_dt_13052025/AnnexureA.pdf), items 1.29 and 4.2.6, as circulated by the Directorate of Education, Delhi. Back to the text

More school terms

[UDISE+](https://scoolin.com/glossary/udise-plus) [UDISE code](https://scoolin.com/glossary/udise-code) [APAAR ID](https://scoolin.com/glossary/apaar-id) [Bonafide certificate](https://scoolin.com/glossary/bonafide-certificate) [School leaving certificate](https://scoolin.com/glossary/school-leaving-certificate) [Migration certificate](https://scoolin.com/glossary/migration-certificate) [Scholar register](https://scoolin.com/glossary/scholar-register) [Admission number](https://scoolin.com/glossary/admission-number) [CBSE affiliation number](https://scoolin.com/glossary/cbse-affiliation-number) [Co-scholastic areas](https://scoolin.com/glossary/co-scholastic-areas) [5+3+3+4 structure](https://scoolin.com/glossary/5-3-3-4-structure)