Jerusalem Invests Over $200 Million in Education Overhaul

The Jerusalem Municipality has launched the 2026-2027 school year with a significant investment exceeding 850 million shekels (approximately $220 million USD) in the city's education system. This comprehensive plan includes the construction of 230 new classrooms and dozens of new buildings, accounting for about 600 million shekels of the total budget.

An additional 250 million shekels have been allocated for renovation, upgrading, and accessibility projects across hundreds of educational institutions. These efforts encompass work in approximately 110 schools and kindergartens, refurbishment of over 400 restrooms, safety inspections in around 300 institutions, and accessibility improvements for hearing, vision, and mobility in 194 facilities.

The city's education system serves over 300,000 students and employs approximately 17,500 teaching staff. The student body is divided among various streams: 125,032 in the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) sector, 112,377 in the Arab sector, 33,728 in the State-Religious sector, 28,198 in the State sector, and 6,560 in the Special Education sector.

Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion emphasized the importance of education, stating, "Education is the heart and soul of Jerusalem. The municipality is investing significant resources and leading Jerusalem's education system as a groundbreaking, diverse, up-to-date, and unique system, offering a variety of innovative and experiential study programs that lead to excellence and achievements in many fields." He added, "We will continue to build, develop, and expand the municipal education system, believing that education is the key to Jerusalem's future and the future of its children."