A new survey finds that the number of elementary students in the nation is at its lowest level since 1962 when related statistics began to be gathered.

According to the survey by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the number of elementary students stood at some three-point-seven million this year. That’s only 64 percent compared to the number of elementary students recorded in 1970, which saw the largest figure.

The survey also found that the number of preschoolers and students in elementary, middle and high schools stood at eight-point-two million this year, or down about 120-thousand from last year and 340-thousand compared to 2000.

The ministry attributes the drop in figures to falling birthrates.

Meanwhile, the percentage of students enrolling in college posted a record high of 83-point-eight percent this year. The ratio of students who were admitted to universities abroad also rose 31-hundredths of a percentage point.