2026 Atlas of Children at Risk in Piedmont
Date of the event:
On 12 November 2026 the organisation Save the Children releases the 17th edition of its Atlas of Children at Risk in Italy, titled «Scuola liberatutti», ahead of World Children's Day on 20 November. The report identifies Piedmont as the Italian region with the highest number of mixed-age classes (pluriclassi, classes combining pupils from different school years, usually in small rural schools) in primary school: 468, an increase of 111 on the previous count, the largest rise recorded in Italy [1][2].
School data in Piedmont
According to the Atlas, Piedmont has closed eight school sites in ten years. In every Piedmontese province except Turin (34.3%), more than 40% of 14-19-year-olds live in a municipality (comune) with no upper secondary schools [1][2]. Nationally, 35.7% of nursery schools have classes with few children, at risk of closure: among Piedmontese provinces the highest share is in Verbano-Cusio-Ossola (55.8%), followed by Biella (44.6%), Vercelli (40.5%), Alessandria (35.8%), Novara (34.6%), Turin (28%), Asti (25.3%) and Cuneo (24.1%) [1].
Facilities and services
The report finds that 46.6% of Piedmontese schools lack a safety-use certificate (certificato di agibilità). The share of schools that are accessible and free of architectural barriers varies by province: Asti (31.3%), Verbano-Cusio-Ossola (33.5%), Vercelli (38.9%), Cuneo (42.4%), Novara (45.4%), Turin (46.6%), Biella (47.2%) and Alessandria (49.1%) [1]. 83.8% of Piedmontese children use the school canteen service, and Piedmont ranks sixth in Italy for the share of primary-school classes with a full 40-hour week (49.8%) [1].
Dropout rates and special needs
The school dropout rate in Piedmont stands at 7.2%, below the national average of 8.2%. Pupils with special educational needs (Bes) reached 17.1% in Piedmont in the 2024-25 school year, against 12.9% nationally [1][2].
The Region's response
Following the report's release, the Piedmont Region announced funding of 340,000 euros for the 2026/2027 school year, intended for reorganising mixed-age classes in mountain schools, with the possibility of funding additional staff and partially splitting classes [2].
Sources
- Save the Children, in Piemonte il maggior aumento di pluriclassi — ANSA Piemonte, 12 November 2026
- Scuola, il Piemonte conquista un triste primato: record di pluriclassi e otto sedi chiuse in dieci anni — CronacaQui Torino, 12 November 2026