The number of students attending post-primary schools in Ireland has reached a new record with over 425,000 enrolled at secondary level in the current academic year.
New figures published by the Department of Education show total enrolments in post-primary schools stood at 425,433 in September 2024 – an annual increase of 8,858.
The latest figures show the number of students attending secondary schools increased by 2.1 per cent over the past 12 months and has grown by approximately 90,000 in the last 20 years.
For the second year in a row, the number of students attending multi-denominational schools at post-primary level has exceeded the numbers enrolled in Catholic schools.
Preliminary enrolment figures for the 2024/25 school year reveal that multi-denominational schools currently account for 48.6 per cent of all second-level students with 47.6 per cent attending post-primary schools with a Catholic ethos.
They also show that numbers attending multi-denominational schools increased by 2.8 per cent or just over 5,700 in the past 12 months ahead of the 1.6 per cent increase in the student population at Catholic schools where enrolments rose by approximately 3,100.
In contrast, there was a slight reduction in the number of students attending Church of Ireland schools at post-primary levels to around 12,400.
Despite the increase in the number of students at secondary levels, the number of post-primary schools remained static at 722.
Over the past decade, however, the number of multi-denominational secondary schools has grown by 26 to 358, while the number of Catholic schools has decreased by 12 to 337.
The rise in student numbers at post-primary levels was reflected in increased enrolments in almost every county across the Republic with the largest increases in Dublin (2,840), Cork (745), Kildare (684), Galway (584) and Meath (576).
Only two counties recorded an actual decrease, albeit by small numbers – Waterford and Leitrim.
The figures are based on the annual census recorded by all schools of their student numbers on September 30th, 2024
In sharp contrast to the large increase in numbers attending secondary schools, the total number of pupils enrolled in primary schools in the current academic year has fallen by almost 1 per cent.
Total enrolments in mainstream primary schools in September stood at 542,417 – an annual decrease of 4,341.
It represents a reduction of 0.8 per cent – twice the rate of decrease of the 2023/24 school year.
The number of pupils attending primary schools in the Republic has been falling since 2018, although an influx of Ukrainian refugees halted that trend briefly in 2022.
The proportion of primary students enrolled in Catholic schools has continued to decline, albeit at a modest pace and now stands at 88.4 per cent – down from 88.9 per cent 12 months ago.
The latest figures show numbers attending Catholic schools are down 4,829 to just under 480,000 – a drop of 1 per cent.
They also reveal that eight Catholic primary schools have closed, been amalgamated or changed ethos in the past 12 months.
The total number of primary schools with a Catholic ethos now stands at 2,722 – a decrease of over 100 in the past decade.
Enrolments in multi-denominational schools currently total 45,013, representing 8.3 per cent of the primary school-going population – up from 8.1 per cent in 2023/24.
There are currently 170 multi-denominational primary schools nationwide – up from 113 a decade ago.
The Department of Education figures show that most counties recorded a decrease in enrolments at primary level due to the overall demographic trend with the biggest reductions in Dublin (-1,842), Cork (-581), Meath (-344) and Clare (-325).
Slight increases in the primary school population were registered in Westmeath, Offaly, Monaghan, Leitrim, Laois, Wexford and Kildare.
The latest figures show the number of Ukrainian pupils at primary level has fallen by 7.2 per cent over the past six months.
A total of 10,459 students from Ukraine were attending primary school in the Republic in December – a decrease of 808 since the end of the 2023/24 school year last June.
In contrast, the number of students from Ukraine attending post-primary schools grew by 1.1 per cent over the same period.
The figures show there were 6,924 Ukrainians enrolled in secondary schools last month – an increase of 78 since June.
Children from Ukraine account for 10 per cent of all primary level pupils at schools in Cork and over 9 per cent of pupils at schools in Dublin and Kerry.
At post-primary level, students from Ukraine represent 11.4 per cent of all enrolments in secondary schools in Dublin and over 9 per cent in schools in Cork and Kerry.
