The number of children starting in mainstream primary schools last September fell by 1.2 per cent, with 6,759 fewer students than the previous year, according to figures released by the Department of Education, reports Breaking News.
By contrast, enrolments at post-primary level increased by 1.0 per cent, with 4,243 more students attending secondary schools, reports Breaking News.
Total enrolments in mainstream primary classes for the 2025/26 school year stand at 535,620 – the lowest annual figure in a decade.
The decline was slightly more pronounced among girls, with 3,422 fewer enrolled compared to 3,337 boys, leaving males at 51.1 per cent of all primary students, reports Breaking News.
Impact of Ukrainian Students
A downward trend in enrolments, ongoing since 2018, was briefly interrupted in 2022 due to the arrival of children fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
However, numbers have begun falling again and are expected to continue declining over the next 15 years, according to the Department of Education, reports Breaking News.
Currently, 10,166 students from Ukraine are enrolled in mainstream primary schools – a decrease of 152 from the previous year.
All counties except Louth and Tipperary saw a fall in primary enrolments last September, with the sharpest drop in Carlow (-2.8%), followed by Kerry (-2.2%) and Offaly (-1.9%), reports Breaking News.
In absolute terms, Dublin recorded 2,095 fewer students and Cork 1,022 fewer.
Changes in School Types
Enrolments in Catholic primary schools dropped by 6,786 to 472,651, while multi-denominational schools saw a slight increase of 302 pupils to 45,344, representing 8.5 per cent of all primary students, reports Breaking News.
Overall, 88.2 per cent of primary pupils attend a Catholic school, down slightly from 88.4 per cent last year.
The number of Catholic primary schools fell by 17 to 2,705, reaching its lowest level this century.
Meanwhile, multi-denominational schools rose to a record 172, up two from the 2024/25 school year.
Church of Ireland schools and other faith schools remained stable at 168 and 22, respectively, reports Breaking News.
Secondary School Trends
At post-primary level, total enrolments reached 429,654 last September, with boys making up 50.6 per cent.
This includes 7,173 students from Ukraine, reports Breaking News.
Multi-denominational schools now account for the largest share of secondary students, with 209,341 pupils (48.7% of all post-primary students).
Enrolments in multi-denominational schools rose 1.2 per cent this year, adding 2,556 students, while Catholic school enrolments increased 0.8 per cent to 204,678, representing 47.6 per cent of all secondary students, reports Breaking News.
Church of Ireland secondary schools saw 12,521 students, up 0.9 per cent from the previous year.
The total number of secondary schools in the Republic has fallen to 721, the lowest since 2018, following the closure of one school last year, reports Breaking News.
Only four counties – Clare, Longford, Louth and Westmeath – recorded a slight decline in secondary enrolments, while nationwide numbers continued to rise.
Roscommon saw the largest increase at post-primary level with a 3.9 per cent rise, followed by Leitrim (3.6%), Laois (2.4%) and Meath, Monaghan and Sligo (all 1.9%), reports Breaking News.
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