Italy’s new limit on foreign pupils in classrooms is expected to have a limited effect on schools across the country.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government introduced the measure last week. The decree sets a ceiling of 30% for foreign pupils in classrooms.
However, experts say the Italy foreign pupils cap could affect only a few hundred children nationwide.
Costanzo Ranci, head of the Social Policy Lab at Milan Polytechnic, estimated that around 300 pupils could be affected.
He told Reuters that the number would probably remain below 1,000. He also said the actual figure could be zero.
The Italian government has not released its own estimate.
New Rules Include Foreign Pupil Exemptions
The impact of the Italy foreign pupils cap remains difficult to calculate because the decree includes several exemptions.
Foreign students born in Italy will not fall under the limit. The rules also exempt pupils who have spent significant periods in the Italian education system.
As a result, the number of students covered by the measure is much smaller than the total number of foreign pupils in Italian schools.
Italy’s state schools have around 6.2 million students, excluding nursery schools, according to education ministry data from August 2025.
Thousands of Schools Have More Than 30% Foreign Pupils
Reuters analysis of education ministry data found that around 2,600 schools had more than 30% foreign pupils during the 2024-2025 school year.
That figure represents about 9% of all schools covered by the data.
However, the number does not show how many pupils would actually be affected by the new rules.
Around 64.5% of foreign pupils are Italian-born, according to the same data.
Those students would be excluded from the calculation under the new decree.
If that national proportion applies equally across schools, only around 10 state schools would remain above the 30% threshold.
Expert Questions Practical Impact
Ranci said the new rules are unlikely to change the daily operation of most Italian schools.
“My feeling is that the decree will not have a real impact on the day-to-day running of schools,” he told Reuters.
He described the situations covered by the measure as relatively unusual.
Therefore, the Italy foreign pupils cap may have a much smaller practical effect than the headline 30% limit suggests.
Meloni Government Defends Classroom Limit
Meloni’s government has presented the measure as part of its effort to improve integration in schools.
The prime minister said the policy would help prevent so-called “ghetto classes” and give students equal opportunities.
The government has also introduced a ban on face coverings in schools as part of the wider decree.
Critics, however, have questioned the political motivation behind the measures. They have linked the changes to competition from the National Future party, another far-right political force, ahead of elections expected next year.
Those criticisms remain political interpretations, while the government describes the classroom limit as an integration measure.
Italy Faces Debate Over School Integration
The new rules come as Italy continues to debate how schools should handle increasingly diverse classrooms.
While some schools have relatively high proportions of foreign pupils, many of those students were born in Italy and have spent most of their lives in the country’s education system.
That distinction is important because the new Italy foreign pupils cap does not apply equally to all students with foreign backgrounds.
For now, experts expect the practical effect to remain limited. The government’s own estimate could provide a clearer picture once officials publish further details.
