The September 1 school bell will ring for almost every school in Kyiv this year — but “almost” is the key word. This summer, restoring Kyiv’s schools turned into a race between builders and the calendar: a facility shattered by shelling had to become a school again before children could take their seats. For some, it will be an ordinary first lesson. For others, it will be a first lesson in a classroom that, as recently as spring, had no windows.
This isn’t an abstract line in yet another report, but concrete work on specific roofs, windows, and heating mains. For city authorities, contractors, and parents alike, it all comes down to one deadline — September 1 — and it has just become clear how close the capital has come to meeting it.
314 Educational Facilities Damaged Over the Years of War
According to the Kyiv City State Administration, 314 educational facilities have been damaged in the capital since the start of the full-scale invasion. In 2026 alone, 107 of them came under fire — effectively one in ten of the city’s schools. Deputy Head of the Kyiv City State Administration Valentyn Mondriievskyi reported that restoration work is currently under way at 47 schools and 41 kindergartens simultaneously.
- 314 educational facilities damaged in Kyiv since 2022
- 107 facilities damaged by shelling in 2026
- 47 schools and 41 kindergartens currently under repair
- 5 schools will not finish repairs by September 1
Five Schools That Won’t Make It Before the Bell
Despite mobilising construction crews, not every facility made the schedule. In the Shevchenkivskyi district, repairs at schools No. 101, No. 73, and No. 199 will not be finished before the start of the school year. In the Darnytskyi district, it’s Lyceum No. 160 and Special School No. 10. For these facilities, September 1 will mark not the end of repairs but the start of blended learning: some classes will be held in person, others remotely, while builders finish what they couldn’t complete before the bell. Pupils at these five facilities will need a few weeks to adjust to a schedule shaped not only by the bell, but by the window and roofing installation timeline.
What Restoring Kyiv’s Schools Means for a City Under Fire
The figure “one in ten schools” sounds alarming, but it hides another story: the city isn’t just tallying damage — it’s systematically fixing it. Simultaneously repairing 88 educational facilities means logistics involving thousands of builders, dozens of contractors, and materials suppliers, all working in conditions where shelling could resume tomorrow. Roofs are re-covered, windows are installed, and heating mains are laid with no guarantee that it won’t all have to be done again the next day — and it’s precisely this stubborn continuation of the work that stands as the most convincing proof of the capital’s construction industry’s resilience.
It’s also telling that the vast majority of the 107 facilities damaged this year will still be ready in time for the bell. The five schools moving to a blended format aren’t a scheduling failure — they’re an honest acknowledgment of just how packed this year’s repair season was: crews closed roofs, replaced windows, laid heating mains, and prepared paperwork for dozens of separate facilities at once, each one its own construction story with its own materials-supply timelines and contractor crews.
While some crews are still painting classroom walls in the Shevchenkivskyi district, others are already tallying materials for the next repair season — because reconstruction, like any major construction effort, doesn’t end with a single bell. It continues every day, on dozens of sites across the country.
Source: Kyiv City Portal (KCSA)
