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Muhak Girls’ High School, located in the Seongdong District of Seoul, which has exclusively enrolled female students for 86 years, is set to welcome male students next year. The institution is shifting to a co-educational model due to the challenges posed by a decreasing number of school-age children. In total, eight schools in Seoul, including Muhak Girls’ High School, are scheduled to adopt co-education next year or the following year.

On July 30, 2026, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education revealed the list of institutions set to adopt co-educational systems for the 2027–2028 school term. Eleven schools in Seoul submitted applications, and the education office granted approval for four middle schools—Sungshim Girls’ Middle School, Seoul Sinjeong Girls’ Middle School, Jeongwon Girls’ Middle School, and Hanyang Middle School—and four high schools: Muhak Girls’ High School, Seoul Sinjeong High School, Sungshim Girls’ High School, and Hanyang Science and Technology High School.

Sungshim Girls’ High School, where former President Park Geun-hye studied, will change its status the following year, while the other seven schools will begin admitting both genders starting next year. As a result, Muhak Girls’ High School, which was founded in 1940, will welcome male students for the first time in its history next year. Despite some opposition, including alumni forming an emergency committee and organizing protests, the education office confirmed there were no procedural problems. Hanyang Science and Technology High School, which has exclusively enrolled male students since it opened in 1945, will start accepting female students next year.

Schools are shifting towards co-education because of the decreasing number of students in the school-going age group. This year, the total number of middle and high school students in Seoul was 391,784, representing a drop of 147,684 people (27.4%) compared to ten years ago. The significant decrease in student numbers has made it increasingly challenging to maintain enrollment with a single gender. Muhak Girls’ High School had its first-year enrollment fall from 401 students in 2016 to 128 students this year, a reduction of 68%. Sungshim Girls’ High School also saw a decline, going from 276 students to 105 students, a drop of more than 60%.

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