According to new data from the Department of Education, total enrolments in post-primary schools stood at 425,433 as of September 2024, reflecting an annual increase of 8,858 students. Over the past year, secondary school attendance has risen by 2.1 per cent, marking a total increase of approximately 90,000 students over the last two decades.

For the second consecutive year, enrolments in multi-denominational post-primary schools have surpassed those in Catholic schools.

Preliminary figures for the 2024/25 school year indicate that 48.6 per cent of secondary students now attend multi-denominational institutions, compared to 47.6 per cent in Catholic schools.

The data also reveals that enrolments in multi-denominational schools increased by 2.8 per cent (over 5,700 students) in the past year, outpacing the 1.6 per cent rise in Catholic school enrolments, which grew by approximately 3,100. Meanwhile, the number of students attending Church of Ireland post-primary schools has slightly declined, now standing at around 12,400.

Despite rising student numbers, the total number of post-primary schools has remained steady at 722. However, over the past decade, the number of multi-denominational secondary schools has increased by 26 to 358, while Catholic schools have declined by 12 to 337.

The growth In post-primary enrolments was seen in nearly every county, with the largest increases recorded in Dublin (+2,840), Cork (+745), Kildare (+684), Galway (+584), and Meath (+576). Only Waterford and Leitrim experienced slight declines.

These figures are based on the Department of Education’s annual school census conducted on September 30, 2024.

In contrast to the rise in secondary school attendance, primary school enrolments have continued to decline, dropping by nearly 1 per cent in the current academic year.

As of September 2024, total enrolments in mainstream primary schools stood at 542,417—a decrease of 4,341 students, or 0.8 per cent, which is double the decline recorded in the 2023/24 school year.

Since 2018, the number of primary school students has been steadily falling, though an influx of Ukrainian refugees in 2022 temporarily reversed the trend.

The proportion of primary students attending Catholic schools has continued to decline gradually, now standing at 88.4 per cent, down from 88.9 per cent a year ago. The number of students enrolled in Catholic primary schools has dropped by 4,829 to just under 480,000—a 1 per cent decrease. Additionally, eight Catholic primary schools have closed, merged, or changed their ethos in the past year.

Currently, 2,722 primary schools in Ireland have a Catholic ethos, reflecting a decline of over 100 in the past decade.

Meanwhile, enrolments in multi-denominational primary schools have increased to 45,013, accounting for 8.3 per cent of all primary students—up from 8.1 per cent in 2023/24. The number of multi-denominational primary schools has also risen to 170, compared to 113 a decade ago.

Most counties have seen a decline in primary school enrolments due to demographic shifts, with the largest decreases recorded in Dublin (-1,842), Cork (-581), Meath (-344), and Clare (-325). However, slight increases were noted in Westmeath, Offaly, Monaghan, Leitrim, Laois, Wexford, and Kildare.

The number of Ukrainian students enrolled in primary schools has declined by 7.2 per cent over the past six months. As of December 2024, 10,459 Ukrainian students were attending primary schools in Ireland, a drop of 808 since the end of the 2023/24 school year.

Conversely, the number of Ukrainian students in post-primary schools has risen by 1.1 per cent over the same period. As of last month, 6,924 Ukrainian students were enrolled in secondary education—an increase of 78 since June.

Ukrainian children now make up 10 per cent of primary-level students in Cork and over 9 per cent in Dublin and Kerry. At the post-primary level, Ukrainian students represent 11.4 per cent of secondary school enrolments in Dublin and more than 9 per cent in Cork and Kerry.