Key points

  • There are 21,898 funded pupils in the Pre-School Education Programme and reception, a decrease of over 140 on last year.

  • There are 164,713 pupils in primary schools and preparatory departments (years 1-7), this has fallen by over 2,800 pupils this year.

  • Post-primary enrolments have fallen for the first time since 2016/17 to 156,766, decreasing by over 120 pupils from 2024/25. There are approximately 29,900 pupils in sixth forms in schools, 57% of all 16-17 year olds in Northern Ireland.

  • Over 70,700 pupils in schools have some form of special educational need; this is 20.1% of the entire school population. Nearly 32,000, or 9.1% of pupils, have a statement of special educational needs. The proportion of pupils in SEN stages 1-2 is 11.0%.

  • Nearly 90,900 pupils in Northern Ireland are entitled to free school meals; this is 25.9% of the entire school population.

Introduction

Provisional enrolment data from the 2025/26 annual school census was released in December 2025. The purpose of this statistical release is to present the final enrolment figures and a more detailed analysis of this information.

The data are taken from the school census exercise, which ran in October 2025. Data collected through the school census exercise are used by the Department of Education (DE) to inform a wide range of policy areas, including finance allocations, school estate development and planning, special education, school improvement, area-based planning, extended schools, additional educational needs, early years and integrated and Irish medium education. Other users include the Education Authority, the Education and Training Inspectorate and to inform responses to Assembly questions and requests from academic researchers, journalists, lobby groups and the public.

Statistics relating to school numbers and enrolments can be found on the Statistics and Research section of the DE website. Analysis is provided at Northern Ireland and school level.

This is an annual publication. Provisional data relating to the 2026/27 academic year will be released in December 2026, with a 2026/27 update of this publication being released in February/March 2027.


Section 1: Funded pre-school education


1.1 Number of institutions

  • There are a total of 707 institutions in Northern Ireland providing funded pre-school education (Table 1a). The total number of institutions offering pre-school education has decreased this year.

  • Just under half of all funded pre-school providers are funded voluntary and private pre-school centres, that is, playgroups and day nurseries. There are 316 funded centres this year.

  • Compared to last year, the number of funded voluntary and private pre-school centres has decreased. The number of primary schools that have reception provision has decreased compared to last year and the number of primary schools with nursery provision has increased. Meanwhile the number of nursery schools has stayed the same.


1.2 Enrolments

  • There are 21,898 children in funded pre-school education (Table 2a). This has fallen by over 140 pupils compared to last year. 11,739 (53.6%) were in full-time provision.

  • Nearly 6,400 pupils were enrolled in voluntary and private pre-school centres, over 5,500 were enrolled in nursery schools, over 9,800 in nursery classes in primary schools and 160 in reception classes (29.1%, 25.3%, 44.9% and 0.7% respectively).

  • Figures exclude pre-school aged pupils in Specialist Provision in Mainstream as these are not part of the Pre-School Education Programme. These pupils are included in (Figure 4b).

Figure 1: Enrolments in funded pre-school education in Northern Ireland 2015/16 - 2025/26

The number of children in pre-school education has fallen in recent years, in line with population estimates.

Note:

  1. Population figures are based on NISRA mid-year estimates. As 2025 figures were unavailable at the time of publication, the NISRA population projections have been used instead.

  2. Figures exclude pre-school aged pupils in Specialist Provision in Mainstream as these are not part of the Pre-School Education Programme. These pupils are included in (Figure 4b).


Section 2: Primary school education


2.1 Number of schools

  • There are 775 primary schools (including preparatory departments) in Northern Ireland. This has dropped by 28 schools since 2020/21 (Table 1b).


2.2 Enrolments

  • Enrolments of pupils in years 1 to 7 has fallen again. In October 2025 the total number of year 1-7 pupils was 164,713 (Table 2a). Enrolments have decreased this year by over 2,800 pupils compared to last year (Figure 2). The decrease observed is in line with the fall in the number of 4-10 year olds over the last few years in the population.

Figure 2 - Enrolments in primary schools in Northern Ireland, 2015/16 - 2025/26

The number of pupils in all primary schools has fallen

Note: graph has a non-zero axis. Population figures are based on NISRA mid-year estimates. As 2025 figures were unavailable at the time of publication, the NISRA population projections have been used instead.


Section 3: Post-primary school education


3.1 Number of schools

  • The number of post-primary schools in 2025/26 is 190 (Table 1b), a decrease of 3 from 2020/21. This is accounted for by a drop in the number of non-grammar schools.

  • One-third (66) of post-primary schools are grammar schools and the remaining two thirds (124) are non-grammars.

  • A total of 158 schools had pupils in approved sixth form studying level 3 qualifications.


3.2 Enrolments

  • Post-primary enrolments have fallen for the first time since 2016/17 to 156,766 (Table 2a), a decrease of over 120 pupils in 2025/26 compared to the previous year (Figure 3a). Enrolments have increased by over 15,650 pupils since 2015/16.

  • A decrease in enrolments in non-grammar schools was witnessed again this year, with a decrease of over 240 pupils in 2025/26 compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, there was an increase in grammar school enrolments by over 120 compared to last year. The proportion of post-primary school pupils attending grammar schools remains high (42.5% in 2025/26).

Figure 3a - Enrolments in post-primary schools in Northern Ireland- non-grammar/grammar split, 2015/16 - 2025/26

The total number of pupils in post-primary schools has decreased

Note: graph has a non-zero axis


3.3 Enrolments by year groups

  • The number of pupils in years 8-12 decreased by nearly 470 pupils compared to last year. This is mirrored by a decrease in the number of 11-15 year olds in the population.

  • There are nearly 29,900 pupils studying A Level or equivalent qualifications in schools in Northern Ireland in 2025/26. This has increased by over 340 pupils compared to last year. This is reflected in the number of 16-17 year olds in the population.

Figure 3b - Enrolments in post-primary schools in Northern Ireland- years 8-12/sixth form split, 2015/16 - 2025/26

The number of pupils in years 8-12 has decreased, while sixth form has increased

Note: Population figures are based on NISRA mid-year estimates. As 2025 figures were unavailable at the time of publication, the NISRA population projections have been used instead.

  • Overall, 57% of all 16 and 17 year olds in the population are studying A Level or equivalent qualifications in schools. This has dropped slightly again this year in comparison to last year (58%). This differs by sex; 64% of all girls aged 16 or 17 are studying A Levels or equivalent in schools compared to 50% of all boys.


Section 4: Special education

4.1 Special educational needs

  • Over 70,700 pupils in schools have some form of special educational need; this is 20.1% of the entire school population. Nearly 32,000, or 9.1% of pupils, have a statement of special educational needs (Table 7a). The proportion of pupils in SEN stages 1-2 is 11.0%.

  • In 2025/26, 81.6% of pupils with any special educational needs were educated in a mainstream class in a mainstream school; 7.5% in Specialist Provision in Mainstream Schools; and 10.9% in special schools.

Figure 4a - Pupils with Special Educational Needs, 2015/16 - 2025/26

The total number of pupils with Special Educational Needs has increased.

Note: In 2019 changes were made to the SEN register categories and definitions, and a medical register was created. In 2021 changes were made to SEN stages, where the five stage approach to identification, assessment and provision of SEN was replaced with three stages. Caution should be taken when comparing years due to the changes in categories and definitions in 2019 and stages in 2021.


4.2 Specialist Provision in Mainstream

  • Specialist Provision in Mainstream (previously known as ‘Learning Support Centres’) refers to classes/units in mainstream nursery, primary and post primary schools that have been approved by the Education Authority for the purpose of making educational provisions for pupils with statements of special educational needs (see Notes point 10 for further information).

  • Nearly 5,300 pupils (7.5% of all SEN pupils in schools and pre-school settings) were enrolled in specialist provision in nursery, primary and post-primary schools (Figure 4b; Table 7b). This is an increase of over 3,100 pupils and 4.3 percentage points since 2020/21 (2,173; 3.2%).

  • 258 schools had operational Specialist Provision’s on census day 2025; 5 nursery schools, 188 primary schools and 65 post primary schools. This is an increase of 37 from the previous year, and 151 from 2020/21 (Table 1c).


4.3 Special school enrolments

  • Over 7,700 pupils (10.9% of all SEN pupils in schools and pre-school settings) were enrolled in 40 dedicated special schools (Figure 4b; Table 1b; Table 2a; Table 7b). This is an increase of nearly 270 pupils from 2024/25.

Figure 4b - Pupils in Special Schools or Specialist Provision in Mainstream, 2015/16 - 2025/26

The number of pupils in special schools and Specialist Provision in Mainstream has increased.

Section 5: Free school meal entitlement

  • The overall percentage of children entitled to free school meals has dropped slightly compared to the previous year (26.2%) at 25.9% in 2025/26. This 25.9% equates to nearly 90,900 free school meal entitled pupils in pre-school, nursery, primary, post primary and special schools (Table 3a).

  • There are some differences in free school meal entitlement by school type. Special schools have a much higher than average proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals (55.4%). Non-grammar pupils are also much more likely than grammar school pupils to be entitled to free school meals (32.2% compared to 10.7%; Table 3a).

Figure 5 - Percentage of Free School Meal Entitled Pupils, 2015/16 - 2025/26

The percentage of pupils entitled to free school meals has decreased.


Section 6: Changes in enrolment patterns

This final section details changes in enrolment patterns in schools in recent years.


6.1 Diversity in schools

  • Although the number of newcomer pupils in schools in Northern Ireland (Table 6b) has decreased, the proportion has remained stable compared to last year (6.0%). This decline mirrors the reduction in the total pupil population.

  • A newcomer pupil is one who has enrolled in a school but who does not have the satisfactory language skills to participate fully in the school curriculum. In 2025/26, there were nearly 21,000 newcomer pupils accounting for 6.0% of the school population. This has risen by over 3,300 pupils since 2020/21.

  • The growth in diversity in the school system may be explained by increased levels of migration among school age children over the last number of years.


6.2 Integrated education

  • There are over 28,600 pupils enrolled in integrated schools (Table 2c) – 400 in nursery schools, nearly 12,800 in primary schools and nearly 15,500 in post primary schools. The number enrolled has increased by over 200 pupils compared to last year, and nearly 3,800 pupils from 2020/21.


6.3. Irish medium education

  • Over 7,800 pupils participate in funded Irish medium education, with nearly 6,000 pupils educated in dedicated Irish medium schools and pre-school settings, and over 1,800 pupils educated in Irish medium units attached to English-medium schools (Table 2b).

  • The total number of pupils in funded Irish medium education has steadily risen over time, increasing by nearly 750 pupils since 2020/21 and over 200 pupils since last year.


6.4. Educated other than at school (EOTAS)

  • EOTAS makes educational provision for children with social, emotional, behavioural, medical, or other issues who, without its provision cannot access suitable education.

  • In total, 556 pupils were enrolled in EOTAS centres on census day in 2025. This includes pupils that are ‘dual registered’ with a mainstream school and may be accessing the EOTAS centre for a temporary period. Just 25 pupils are ‘single registered’ at EOTAS centres; this means that they no longer have a link to a mainstream school.


Contact Details

Published by: Statistical Analysis Team, Department of Education

Lead Statistician: Gemma Thomson

Email: census@education-ni.gov.uk

Notes for readers

Accredited Official Statistics

  1. These accredited official statistics have been independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics. Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. Accreditation signifies their compliance with the authority’s Code of Practice for Statistics which broadly means these statistics are:
  • managed impartially and objectively in the public interest
  • meet identified user needs
  • produced according to sound methods
  • well explained and readily accessible

  1. Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

  2. You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing or via the OSR website.

School Census

  1. The statistics in this release have been derived from the annual School Census; details about the data collection may be found at School enrolments data collection and validation publication. For voluntary and private pre-school centres and nursery schools, the census consists of a return via an online app/ paper return comprising a number of tables; for post-primary, primary and special schools, and EOTAS centres, it consists of an electronic return comprising individual pupil records, made over a secure file transfer system.

    The tables presented in the release reflect key information on enrolments, as determined by Departmental needs and on requests for information from other sources.

    The figures for pre-school children in this release relate to children in funded pre-school education. The figures for nursery schools and classes relate to approved nursery schools and nursery classes in primary schools. The figures for reception refer to pupils who were below compulsory school age at 1st July 2025, who were admitted to a reception class or group in primary school following their 4th birthday. Schools may admit reception pupils throughout the year, but only those who have been admitted or will be admitted by 31st October are counted in the school census. Figures for pre-school aged pupils who are not part of the Pre-school Education Programme, but rather are in Specialist Provision in Mainstream for Early Years have been included separately [PSEP overview - Pre-school education places] (https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/pre-school-education-places).

  2. The figures in this statistical release are based on information as at 10 October 2025. They may be subject to minor revision and these will be notified in accordance with our revisions policy, see Statistical Revisions documentation (.pdf file, size: 25KB).

  3. Further statistics relating to school numbers and enrolments can be found on the DE website under the Statistics and Research section. The DE website presents figures taken from the school census, summarised at regional, and school level. Statistics on pupil attendance, pupil: teacher ratios, school leaver destinations and qualifications may also be accessed via the website.

  4. Information on enrolments collected via the school census process are used to inform DE policy and procedures (particularly School Funding), as well as to inform Education Authority of detailed information useful to them in their auditing processes.

  5. The data is produced at aggregate level only, therefore individual pupils cannot be identified. More information on confidentiality can be found in the DE Confidentiality and Access Statement.

  6. The categories for recording pupils with special educational needs (SEN) were revised in 2019, along with the creation of an electronic Medical Register. A pupil’s placement on the SEN register, as required under the SEN Code of Practice, means that the child has a SEN which requires special educational provision to be made. For further information, see the Department’s SEN and medical categories guidance.

    From 2021 the number of Special Education Needs (SEN) stages reduced from five to three. The three individual stages are defined in the draft SEN Code as follows:

    • Stage 1: School delivered special educational provision by the teacher, working with the SENCo.
    • Stage 2: School delivered special educational provision plus external special educational provision is being implemented, for example by the EA or HSC Trust.
    • Stage 3/ Statement: School delivered plus special educational provision as set out in a Statement.

    For further information, see DE Circular 2021/06 - Three Stages of Special Educational Provision.

  7. Specialist Provision in Mainstream (previously known as ‘Learning Support Centres’) refers to classes/units in mainstream primary and post primary schools that have been approved by the Education Authority for the purpose of making educational provisions for pupils with statements of special educational needs. There are several different types of Specialist Provision for example, Social Communication (Autism), Learning, Behaviour, Hearing, Physical, or Speech.

School types

  1. Definitions of school management types are as follows:
  • Controlled: Schools are managed and funded by the Education Authority through Boards of Governors (BoG). Primary and post-primary school BoGs consist of representatives of transferors - mainly the Protestant churches - along with representatives of parents, teachers and the EA.
  • Voluntary: Self-governing schools, generally of long standing, originally established to provide an academic education at post primary level on a fee paying basis. Now funded by the Department and managed by Boards of Governors. The BoGs are constituted in accordance with each school’s scheme of management - usually representatives of foundation governors, parents, teachers and in most cases, DE or EA representatives. The BoGs is the employing authority and is responsible for the employment of all staff in its school.
  • Maintained schools are managed by Boards of Governors which consist of members nominated by trustees, along with representatives of parents, teachers and the Education Authority. These schools are funded through the EA for their running costs and directly by the Department in relation to capital building works. For Catholic Maintained schools, the Employing Authority is the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS). Other maintained schools are any schools that are not Catholic maintained. They are typically, but not exclusively, Irish medium schools.
  • Controlled integrated: Controlled schools which have acquired integrated status.
  • Grant Maintained integrated: Self-governing schools with integrated education status, funded directly by the Department of Education and managed by Boards of Governors. The BoG is the employing authority and responsible for employing staff.
  1. Definitions of other school types are as follows:
  • A special school is a controlled or voluntary school which is specially organised to provide education for pupils with special needs and is recognised by the DE as a special school.
  • An independent school is a school at which full-time education is provided for pupils aged from 4 to 16 and is not grant aided. These schools set their own curriculum and admissions policies and are funded by fees paid by parents and income from investments. Each independent school must be registered with DE and is inspected regularly by ETI.
  • Education Other Than at School (EOTAS) includes all forms of education that takes place outside the formal school environment.

  1. Action Short of Strike

    For the 2023/24 academic year, the school census exercise was impacted by industrial action, due to ongoing Action Short of Strike (ASOS). For further information please see Annual Enrolments at schools and in funcded pre-school education in Northern Ireland, 2023/24.

Feedback on this publication can be provided directly to Gemma Thomson (contact details above) or contact the Statistical Analysis Team

Accessibility contact

Please contact Dissemination Branch for assistance with accessibility requirements or alternative formats. Contact details are:

Email:

Telephone: +44 (0)300 200 7836

Dissemination Branch
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List of Tables

  • Table 1a: The number of pre-school providers with funded places, by centre type and management type, 2020/21 - 2025/26
  • Table 1b: The number of schools by school type and management type, 2020/21 - 2025/26
  • Table 1c: The number of Special Educational Needs providers by school type, 2020/21 - 2025/26
  • Table 2a: Pupils by school type and management type, 2025/26
  • Table 2b: Pupils in Irish-medium education, 2020/21 - 2025/26
  • Table 2c: Pupils in Integrated education1, 2020/21 - 2025/26
  • Table 3a: Pupils entitled to Free School Meals by school type, 2025/26
  • Table 3b: Pupils entitled to Free School Meals by school type and management type, 2025/26
  • Table 4: Average class size by school type and management type, 2025/26
  • Table 5: Religion of pupils by school type and management type, 2025/26
  • Table 6a: Ethnicity of pupils by school type, 2025/26
  • Table 6b: Newcomer pupils by school type, 2020/21 – 2025/26
  • Table 7a: Percentage of children with Special Education Needs at schools and funded pre-school education centres in 2025/26
  • Table 7b: Number of Specialist Provision in Mainstream pupils by school type, 2020/21 - 2025/26

Tables

Table 1a

Table 1a: The number of pre-school providers with funded places, by centre type and management type, 2020/21 - 2025/26

School and Management Type 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 2025/26
Nursery schools - Controlled 64 62 60 60 60 57
Nursery schools - Catholic Maintained 31 31 31 31 31 31
Nursery schools - Controlled Integrated 0 1 2 2 2 5
Nursery schools - Total 95 94 93 93 93 93
Nursery class in primary school - Controlled [1] 120 121 122 121 119 120
Nursery class in primary school - Catholic Maintained [2] 90 90 90 90 90 90
Nursery class in primary school - Other Maintained [3] 16 16 16 17 21 21
Nursery class in primary school - Controlled Integrated 5 5 6 7 9 9
Nursery class in primary school - Grant Maintained Integrated 17 17 17 17 17 19
Nursery class in primary school - Total 248 249 251 252 256 259
Reception classes in primary schools - Controlled 14 15 16 18 17 16
Reception classes in primary schools - Catholic Maintained 29 21 25 22 24 21
Reception classes in primary schools - Other Maintained 0 0 0 0 0 0
Reception classes in primary schools - Controlled Integrated 2 3 4 3 3 2
Reception classes in primary schools - Grant Maintained Integrated 0 0 0 0 0 0
Reception classes in primary schools - Total 45 39 45 43 44 39
Voluntary pre-school education centres 312 308 301 294 278 275
Private pre-school education centres 50 48 48 45 44 41
Voluntary and private pre-school education centres - Total 362 356 349 339 322 316
All centres - GRAND TOTAL 750 738 738 727 715 707

Notes:

  1. Figures exclude Specialist Provision in Mainstream settings as these are not part of PSEP. See ‘notes for readers’ point 10. For Pre-school aged Specialist Provision settings see Table 1c.

  2. PSEP overview - Pre-school education places (https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/pre-school-education-places)


Table 1b

Table 1b: The number of schools by school type and management type, 2020/21 - 2025/26

School and Management Type 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 2025/26
Nursery schools - Controlled 64 62 60 60 60 57
Nursery schools - Catholic Maintained 31 31 31 31 31 31
Nursery schools - Controlled Integrated 0 1 2 2 2 5
Nursery schools - Total 95 94 93 93 93 93
Primary schools - Controlled [1] 360 355 354 351 346 343
Primary schools - Catholic Maintained [2][3] 358 355 354 351 346 345
Primary schools - Other Maintained - Irish Medium 25 25 25 25 25 25
Primary schools - Other Maintained - Other 3 2 2 2 2 1
Primary schools - Controlled Integrated 22 24 24 25 27 27
Primary schools - Grant Maintained Integrated 23 23 23 23 23 23
Primary schools - Total 791 784 782 777 769 764
Preparatory depts in grammar schools - Controlled 1 1 1 1 1 1
Preparatory depts in grammar schools - Voluntary 11 11 11 11 11 10
Preparatory depts in grammar schools - Total [4] 12 12 12 12 12 11
Primary schools and preparatory depts - Total 803 796 794 789 781 775
Secondary (non grammar) schools - Controlled 48 48 47 47 47 47
Secondary (non grammar) schools - Catholic Maintained 57 56 56 56 54 54
Secondary (non grammar) schools - Other Maintained 2 2 2 2 2 2
Secondary (non grammar) schools - Controlled Integrated 5 5 6 6 6 6
Secondary (non grammar) schools - Grant Maintained Integrated 15 15 15 15 15 15
Secondary (non grammar) schools - Total 127 126 126 126 124 124
Grammar schools - Controlled 16 16 16 16 16 16
Grammar schools - Voluntary - under Catholic management 29 29 29 29 29 29
Grammar schools - Voluntary - under other management 21 21 21 21 21 21
Grammar schools - Total 66 66 66 66 66 66
Post primary schools - Total 193 192 192 192 190 190
Special schools 39 39 39 39 40 40
Hospital schools [5] 1 1 1 1 0 0
Independent schools 15 14 14 14 13 15
GRAND TOTAL 1134 1124 1121 1116 1105 1102

Notes:

  1. Includes 2 Irish Medium Controlled schools.

  2. Includes 1 Irish Medium Catholic school.

  3. Catholic maintained total in 2019/20 includes a school that did not have any pupils enrolled on census day. In 2023/24, there were 2 Catholic maintained schools that did not have any pupils enrolled on census day and formally closed on 31 October 2023, and 1 school that had pupils but also closed on 31 October 2023.

  4. These are part of grammar schools.

  5. Figures include all schools that were open on census day. For example, Belfast Hospital school ceased to exist as a school from 19 February 2024 and became part of EOTAS, however it was still in operation on census day 2023. Similarly, Downey House Prep closed December 2024, and is included in the census 2024 figures.


Table 1c

Table 1c: The number of special educational provision settings by school type, 2020/21 - 2025/26

School Type 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 2025/26
Nursery Schools 0 0 0 1 4 5
Primary Schools - Pre-school age 0 0 6 12 23 24
Primary Schools (Year 1 - Year 7) 71 89 100 131 155 185
Post-primary 36 45 48 53 60 65
Total SPiM 107 134 150 188 221 258
Special Schools 39 39 39 39 40 40
ALL SPiM and Special 146 173 189 227 261 298

Notes:

  1. Specialist Provision in Mainstream (previously known as ‘Learning Support Centres’) refers to classes/units in mainstream primary and post primary schools that have been approved by the Education Authority for the purpose of making educational provisions for pupils with statements of special educational needs. There are several different types of Specialist Provision for example, Social Communication (Autism), Learning, Behaviour, Hearing, Physical, or Speech.

  2. From 2022/23, Specialist Provision was extended to pre-school aged pupils. A primary school may have Specialist Provision for both pre-school aged pupils and pupils in years 1-7. These have been counted as one setting in the ‘Total Specialist Provision’ and ‘All Specialist Provision and Special’ total. The number of schools with both types of provision: 4 of 6 in 2022/23, 9 of 12 in 2023/24, 21 of 23 in 2024/25, and 21 of 24 in 2025/26.


Table 2a

Table 2a: The number of pupils by school type and management type, 2025/26

School Type Controlled Catholic Maintained Other Maintained Controlled Integrated Grant Maintained Integrated Voluntary Under Catholic Management Voluntary Under Other Management Grand Total
Funded Voluntary Pre-schools - Full-time 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 840
Funded Voluntary Pre-schools - Part-time 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4,612
Funded Private Pre-schools - Full-time 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 261
Funded Private Pre-schools - Part-time 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 667
Funded Voluntary and Private Pre-schools - Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6,380
Nursery schools - Full-time 2,443 1,665 0 192 0 0 0 4,300
Nursery schools - Part-time 970 52 0 208 0 0 0 1,230
Nursery classes in a primary school - Full-time 2,835 2,644 344 146 369 0 0 6,338
Nursery classes in a primary school - Part-time 1,588 1,168 258 135 341 0 0 3,490
Nursery schools and classes - Total 7,836 5,529 602 681 710 0 0 15,358
Pre-school Specialist Provision in nursery schools 12 5 0 13 0 0 0 30
Pre-school Specialist Provision in primary schools 50 23 0 0 4 0 0 77
Pre-school Specialist Provision - Total 62 28 0 13 4 0 0 107
Reception classes in a primary school 48 103 0 9 0 0 0 160
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) 73,594 74,544 3,690 5,256 6,492 0 0 163,576
Preparatory depts in grammar schools (Year 1- Year 7) 112 0 0 0 0 0 1,025 1,137
Primary schools and preparatory depts (Reception to Year 7) - Total 73,754 74,647 3,690 5,265 6,492 0 1,025 164,873
Secondary (non grammar) schools 32,075 41,175 1,373 4,440 11,012 0 0 90,075
Grammar schools 14,804 0 0 0 0 30,705 21,182 66,691
Post primary schools - Total 46,879 41,175 1,373 4,440 11,012 30,705 21,182 156,766
Special schools 7,212 426 91 0 0 0 0 7,729
EOTAS Centres 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 25
Independent schools 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 706
GRAND TOTAL 135,743 121,805 5,756 10,399 18,218 30,705 22,207 351,944

Notes:

  1. Enrolments for special schools and EOTAS centres relate those where pupils are single registered to the school or are dual registered and the special school/EOTAS centre is recorded as the main school.

  2. Previous bulletins provided enrolments in hospital schools. These pupils have been counted in their main school.

  3. Voluntary and Private Pre-schools, EOTAS and Independent Schools do not fall under the same management type as other schools and have only been included in the Grand Total column.

  4. Preschool aged pupils enrolled in Specialist Provision in Mainstream have been presented separately from other preschool aged pupils, they are not part of PSEP. See ‘notes for readers’ points 4 and 10.

  5. PSEP overview - Pre-school education places (https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/pre-school-education-places)


Table 2b

Table 2b: The number of pupils in Irish-medium education, 2020/21 - 2025/26

School Type 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 2025/26
Funded Voluntary and Private Pre-schools 452 414 410 411 365 351
Nursery classes in an Irish-medium school - Full-time 318 309 308 315 301 396
Nursery classes in an Irish-medium school -Part-time 149 148 148 174 272 206
Nursery classes in an Irish-medium unit - Full-time 30 25 26 26 29 30
Nursery classes in an Irish-medium unit -Part-time 0 0 0 0 0 26
Nursery classes - Total 497 482 482 515 602 658
Irish-medium primary school (Year 1 - Year 7) 3,637 3,686 3,675 3,636 3,638 3,667
Irish-medium unit in a primary school (Year 1 - Year 7) 967 975 997 996 983 1,064
Primary schools (Year 1 to Year 7) - Total 4,604 4,661 4,672 4,632 4,621 4,731
Irish-medium post-primary school 1,019 1,113 1,177 1,265 1,366 1,373
Irish-medium unit in a post-primary school 492 562 569 591 644 698
Post primary schools - Total 1,511 1,675 1,746 1,856 2,010 2,071
GRAND TOTAL 7,064 7,232 7,310 7,414 7,598 7,811

Notes:

  1. Figures relate to pupils in funded Irish-medium units in English-medium schools and pupils in Irish-medium schools.

  2. Figures relating to 2023/24 may have been impacted by Action Short of Strike (ASOS). See ‘notes for readers’ point 13.


Table 2c

Table 2c: The number of pupils in Integrated education, 2020/21 - 2025/26

School Type 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 2025/26
Nursery schools 0 26 104 105 105 400
Pre-school Specialist Provision in nursery schools 0 0 0 8 4 13
Nursery classes in a primary school - Full-time 266 211 210 209 231 515
Nursery classes in a primary school -Part-time 463 518 555 605 660 476
Pre-school Specialist Provision in primary schools 0 0 0 0 0 4
Reception class in a primary school 25 18 29 19 24 9
Primary schools (Year 1 to Year 7) 10,640 11,167 11,162 11,362 11,989 11,748
Primary schools (Nursery to Year 7) - Total 11,394 11,914 11,956 12,195 12,904 12,752
Secondary - Year 8 to Year 12 11,513 11,751 12,997 13,218 13,196 13,219
Secondary - sixth form 1,954 2,103 2,126 2,149 2,202 2,233
Secondary - Total 13,467 13,854 15,123 15,367 15,398 15,452
GRAND TOTAL 24,861 25,794 27,183 27,675 28,411 28,617

Notes:

  1. Figures include children attending Controlled Integrated schools and Grant Maintained Integrated Schools

  2. Sixth form figures are based solely on pupils studying A Level or equivalent qualifications

  3. Figures relating to 2023/24 may have been impacted by Action Short of Strike (ASOS). See ‘notes for readers’ point 13.


Table 3a

Table 3a: The number and percentage of free school meal entitled pupils by school type, 2025/26

School Type Number Enrolment Percentage
Funded Voluntary and Private Pre-schools 1,083 6,380 17.0
Nursery schools - Full-time 2,094 4,300 48.7
Nursery schools - Part-time 195 1,230 15.9
Nursery class in a primary school - Full-time 2,701 6,338 42.6
Nursery class in a primary school - Part-time 640 3,490 18.3
Pre-school Specialist Provision in a nursery school [2] 13 30 43.3
Pre-school Specialist Provision in a primary school [2] 23 77 29.9
Reception class in a primary school 16 160 10.0
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) 43,665 163,576 26.7
Preparatory depts in grammar schools (Year 1- Year 7) 10 1,137 0.9
Total primary and preparatory school (Year 1 - Year 7) 43,675 164,713 26.5
Non grammar schools 28,969 90,075 32.2
Grammar schools 7,165 66,691 10.7
Total post-primary schools 36,134 156,766 23.0
Special Schools 4,284 7,729 55.4
EOTAS Centres 9 25 36.0
All Funded Pre-school, Nursery, Primary, Post-Primary, and Special Schools 90,858 351,213 25.9
All Funded Pre-school, Nursery, Primary, Post-Primary, Special Schools, And EOTAS Centres 90,867 351,238 25.9

Notes:

  1. Figures for pupils in nursery schools/units and pre-schools include parents who are entitled to receive Income Support, or Income-Based Jobseeker’s Allowance, or Employment Support Allowance where an award of income-based job-seekers allowance has been converted; and Universal Credit are some of the benefits which determine eligibility for free school meals

  2. Preschool aged pupils enrolled in Specialist Provision in Mainstream have been presented separately from other preschool aged pupils, they are not part of PSEP. See ‘notes for readers’ points 4 and 10.


Table 3b

Table 3b: The number and percentage of free school meal entitled pupils by school type and management type, 2025/26

School and Management Type Number Enrolment Percentage
Funded Voluntary and Private Pre-schools - Voluntary 982 5,452 18.0
Funded Voluntary and Private Pre-schools - Private 101 928 10.9
Funded Voluntary and Private Pre-schools - Total 1,083 6,380 17.0
Nursery schools - Full-time - Controlled 1,153 2,443 47.2
Nursery schools - Full-time - Catholic Maintained 872 1,665 52.4
Nursery schools - Full-time - Controlled Integrated 69 192 35.9
Nursery schools - Full-time - Total 2,094 4,300 48.7
Nursery schools - Part-time - Controlled 148 970 15.3
Nursery schools - Part-time - Catholic Maintained 14 52 26.9
Nursery schools - Part-time - Controlled Integrated 33 208 15.9
Nursery schools - Part-time - Total 195 1,230 15.9
Nursery class in a primary school - Full-time - Controlled 1,153 2,835 40.7
Nursery class in a primary school - Full-time - Catholic Maintained 1,182 2,644 44.7
Nursery class in a primary school - Full-time - Other Maintained 164 344 47.7
Nursery class in a primary school - Full-time - Controlled Integrated 71 146 48.6
Nursery class in a primary school - Full-time - Grant Maintained Integrated 131 369 35.5
Nursery class in a primary school - Full-time - Total 2,701 6,338 42.6
Nursery class in a primary school - Part-time - Controlled 280 1,588 17.6
Nursery class in a primary school - Part-time - Catholic Maintained 232 1,168 19.9
Nursery class in a primary school - Part-time - Other Maintained 43 258 16.7
Nursery class in a primary school - Part-time - Controlled Integrated 20 135 14.8
Nursery class in a primary school - Part-time - Grant Maintained Integrated 65 341 19.1
Nursery class in a primary school - Part-time - Total 640 3,490 18.3
Pre-school Specialist Provision in a nursery school 13 30 43.3
Pre-school Specialist Provision in a primary school 23 77 29.9
Reception class in a primary school 16 160 10.0
Total Pre-school age 6,765 22,005 30.7
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Controlled 18,278 73,594 24.8
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Catholic Maintained 21,212 74,544 28.5
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Other Maintained 1,244 3,690 33.7
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Controlled Integrated 1,414 5,256 26.9
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Grant Maintained Integrated 1,517 6,492 23.4
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Total 43,665 163,576 26.7
Preparatory depts in grammar schools (Year 1- Year 7) 10 1,137 0.9
Total Primary And Preparatory Departments (Year 1 - Year 7) 43,675 164,713 26.5
Secondary (Non Grammar) Schools - Controlled 9,863 32,075 30.7
Secondary (Non Grammar) Schools - Catholic Maintained 13,781 41,175 33.5
Secondary (Non Grammar) Schools - Other Maintained 562 1,373 40.9
Secondary (Non Grammar) Schools - Controlled Integrated 1,563 4,440 35.2
Secondary (Non Grammar) Schools - Grant Maintained Integrated 3,200 11,012 29.1
Total Secondary (Non Grammar) Schools 28,969 90,075 32.2
Grammar Schools - Controlled 1,286 14,804 8.7
Grammar Schools - Voluntary - Schools under Catholic Management 4,322 30,705 14.1
Grammar Schools - Voluntary - Schools under Other Management 1,557 21,182 7.4
Total Grammar Schools 7,165 66,691 10.7
Total Post-Primary Schools 36,134 156,766 23.0
Special Schools 4,284 7,729 55.4
EOTAS Centres 9 25 36.0
All Funded Pre-school, Nursery, Primary, Post-Primary, and Special Schools 90,858 351,213 25.9
All Funded Pre-school, Nursery, Primary, Post-Primary, Special Schools, And EOTAS Centres 90,867 351,238 25.9

Notes:

  1. Figures for pupils in nursery schools/units and pre-schools include parents who are entitled to receive Income Support, or Income-Based Jobseeker’s Allowance, or Employment Support Allowance where an award of income-based job-seekers allowance has been converted; and Universal Credit are some of the benefits which determine eligibility for free school meals

  2. Preschool aged pupils enrolled in Specialist Provision in Mainstream have been presented separately from other preschool aged pupils, they are not part of PSEP. See ‘notes for readers’ points 4 and 10.


Table 4

Table 4: Average class size by school type and management type, 2025/26

School and Management Type Average number of pupils per class
Nursery schools - Controlled 26
Nursery schools - Catholic Maintained 26
Nursery schools - Controlled Integrated 27
Nursery schools - Total 26
Nursery class in a primary school - Controlled 26
Nursery class in a primary school - Catholic Maintained 26
Nursery class in a primary school - Other Maintained 26
Nursery class in a primary school - Controlled Integrated 23
Nursery class in a primary school - Grant Maintained Integrated 26
Nursery class in a primary school - Total 26
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Controlled 25
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Catholic Maintained 24
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Other Maintained 22
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Controlled Integrated 24
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Grant Maintained Integrated 27
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Total 24
Preparatory depts in grammar schools (Year 1- Year 7) - Controlled 16
Preparatory depts in grammar schools (Year 1- Year 7) - Voluntary 17
Preparatory depts in grammar schools (Year 1- Year 7) - Total 17

Notes:

  1. Class size data is only collected in respect of nursery and primary schools and preparatory departments.

  2. Children in specialist provision or reception classes are excluded.


Table 5

Table 5: Religion of pupils by school type and management type, 2025/26

School and Management Type Protestant Catholic Other Total
Funded Voluntary and Private Pre-schools - Voluntary 1,327 2,800 1,325 5,452
Funded Voluntary and Private Pre-schools - Private 263 288 377 928
Funded Voluntary and Private Pre-schools - Total 1,590 3,088 1,702 6,380
Nursery schools -Controlled 1,387 906 1,120 3,413
Nursery schools - Catholic Maintained 39 1,387 291 1,717
Nursery schools - Controlled Integrated 128 83 189 400
Nursery schools - Total 1,554 2,376 1,600 5,530
Nursery class in a primary school -Controlled 1,843 557 2,023 4,423
Nursery class in a primary school - Catholic Maintained 61 3,356 395 3,812
Nursery class in a primary school - Other Maintained 26 487 89 602
Nursery class in a primary school - Controlled Integrated 62 113 106 281
Nursery class in a primary school - Grant Maintained Integrated 186 272 252 710
Nursery class in a primary school - Total 2,178 4,785 2,865 9,828
Pre-school Specialist Provision in a nursery school 8 11 11 30
Pre-school Specialist Provision in a primary school 22 29 26 77
Reception class in a primary school 22 101 37 160
Pre-school age - Total 5,374 10,390 6,241 22,005
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Controlled 38,396 5,874 29,324 73,594
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Catholic Maintained 671 68,092 5,781 74,544
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Other Maintained 260 3,012 418 3,690
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Controlled Integrated 1,589 1,424 2,243 5,256
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Grant Maintained Integrated 1,600 2,470 2,422 6,492
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) - Total 42,516 80,872 40,188 163,576
Preparatory depts in grammar schools (Year 1- Year 7) - Controlled # c 73 112
Preparatory depts in grammar schools (Year 1- Year 7) - Voluntary # # 608 1,025
Preparatory depts in grammar schools (Year 1- Year 7) - Total 307 149 681 1,137
Secondary (Non Grammar) Schools - Controlled 21,605 1,731 8,739 32,075
Secondary (Non Grammar) Schools - Catholic Maintained # # 2,919 41,175
Secondary (Non Grammar) Schools - Other Maintained c # 66 1,373
Secondary (Non Grammar) Schools - Controlled Integrated 2,220 772 1,448 4,440
Secondary (Non Grammar) Schools - Grant Maintained Integrated 3,472 4,292 3,248 11,012
Secondary (Non Grammar) Schools - Total 28,121 45,534 16,420 90,075
Grammar Schools - Controlled 8,392 2,023 4,389 14,804
Grammar Schools - Voluntary - Schools under Catholic Management 439 28,318 1,948 30,705
Grammar Schools - Voluntary - Schools under Other Management 10,795 3,475 6,912 21,182
Grammar Schools - Total 19,626 33,816 13,249 66,691
Special Schools - Controlled 2,086 2,950 2,176 7,212
Special Schools - Catholic Maintained 12 361 53 426
Special Schools - Other Maintained 22 31 38 91
Special Schools - Total 2,120 3,342 2,267 7,729
EOTAS Centres 7 12 6 25
All Funded Pre-school, Nursery, Primary, Post-Primary, And Special 98,064 174,103 79,046 351,213
All Funded Pre-school, Nursery, Primary, Post-Primary, Special Schools, And EOTAS Centres 98,071 174,115 79,052 351,238

Notes:

c denotes fewer than 5 pupils suppressed due to sensitive nature and potential identification of individual pupils # denotes figure >=5 counter suppressed due to potential identification of individual pupils

  1. The ‘other’ category includes pupils that are classified as other Christian, non-Christian, no religion or where religion is unknown or not provided.

  2. Preschool aged pupils enrolled in Specialist Provision in Mainstream have been presented separately from other preschool aged pupils, they are not part of PSEP. See ‘notes for readers’ points 4 and 10.


Table 6a

Table 6a: Ethnicity of pupils by school type, 2025/26

School Type White (excluding Irish Traveller) Chinese Irish Traveller Indian/ Sri Lankan Pakistani Black Mixed ethnic group Other ethnic group Total
Funded Voluntary and Private Pre-schools 6,014 c 13 65 16 69 96 103 6,380
Nursery schools 5,100 # # 79 19 # # # 5,530
Pre-school Specialist Provision in a nursery school 28 0 0 0 0 0 c c 30
Pre-school Specialist Provision in a primary school 71 0 c 0 0 c c 0 77
Nursery and reception classes in a primary school 9,012 20 34 193 44 192 272 221 9,988
Primary and preparatory school (Year 1 - Year 7) 150,344 547 709 2,612 417 3,007 3,684 3,393 164,713
Secondary (non grammar) schools 83,528 189 223 697 141 1,827 1,720 1,750 90,075
Grammar schools 61,772 673 16 1,121 157 588 1,420 944 66,691
Special Schools 7,158 30 62 54 19 104 144 158 7,729
EOTAS Centres 23 0 0 0 0 0 c c 25
GRAND TOTAL 323,050 1,475 1,073 4,821 813 5,887 7,440 6,679 351,238

Notes

c denotes fewer than 5 pupils suppressed due to sensitive nature and potential identification of individual pupils # denotes figure >=5 counter suppressed due to potential identification of individual pupils

  1. Preschool aged pupils enrolled in Specialist Provision in Mainstream have been presented separately from other preschool aged pupils, they are not part of PSEP. See ‘notes for readers’ points 4 and 10.


Table 6b

Table 6b: The number of newcomer pupils by school type, 2020/21 - 2025/26

School Type 2020/21 Number 2020/21 % 2021/22 Number 2021/22 % 2022/23 Number 2022/23 % 2023/24 Number 2023/24 % 2024/25 Number 2024/25 % 2025/26 Number 2025/26 %
Funded Voluntary and Private Pre-schools 264 3.6 247 3.4 269 3.9 239 3.5 182 2.8 181 2.8
Nursery schools 446 7.7 443 7.6 468 8.1 476 8.2 475 8.3 463 8.3
Nursery and reception classes in a primary school 808 8.2 789 8.0 801 8.0 871 8.7 858 8.6 811 8.1
Primary and preparatory school (Year 1 - Year 7) 12,080 7.0 12,507 7.3 13,291 7.8 14,236 8.4 14,613 8.7 14,141 8.6
Secondary (non grammar) schools 3,395 3.9 3,765 4.3 3,916 4.3 4,331 4.8 4,353 4.8 4,510 5.0
Grammar schools 478 0.7 408 0.6 520 0.8 634 1.0 662 1.0 649 1.0
Special Schools 193 2.9 197 3.0 # # 200 2.8 209 2.8 # #
EOTAS Centres 0 0.0 0 0.0 c c 0 0.0 0 0.0 c c
GRAND TOTAL 17,664 5.0 18,356 5.2 19,471 5.5 20,987 5.9 21,352 6.0 20,971 6.0

Notes:

c denotes fewer than 5 pupils suppressed due to sensitive nature and potential identification of individual pupils # denotes figure >=5 counter suppressed due to potential identification of individual pupils

  1. A newcomer pupil is one who has enrolled in a school but who does not have the satisfactory language skills to participate fully in the school curriculum, and the wider environment, and does not have a language in common with the teacher, whether that is English or Irish. This has previously been referred to as English as an Additional Language. It does not refer to indigenous pupils who choose to attend an Irish medium school

  2. Enrolments for special schools and EOTAS centres relate those where pupils are single registered to the school, or are dual registered and the special school/EOTAS centre is recorded as the main school

  3. Figures relating to 2023/24 may have been impacted by Action Short of Strike (ASOS). See ‘notes for readers’ point 13.

Table 7a

Table 7a: The number and percentage of Special Educational Needs pupils by school type, 2025/26

School Type Statemented Stages 1 and 2 Total SEN Total enrolment Percentage Statemented Percentage Stages 1 and 2 Percentage SEN stages 1 to 3
Funded Voluntary and Private Pre-schools 92 450 542 6,380 1.4 7.1 8.5
Nursery schools 182 705 887 5,530 3.3 12.7 16.0
Pre-school Specialist Provision in nursery schools 30 0 30 30 100.0 0 100.0
Pre-school Specialist Provision in primary schools 77 0 77 77 100.0 0 100.0
Nursery or reception class in a primary school 209 365 574 9988 2.1 3.7 5.7
Primary schools (Year 1 - Year 7) 12,231 21,797 34,028 163,576 7.5 13.3 20.8
Preparatory depts in a grammar school (Year 1 - Year 7) 52 139 191 1,137 4.6 12.2 16.8
Primary and Preparatory Departments (Year 1 - Year 7) - Total 12,283 21,936 34,219 164,713 7.5 13.3 20.8
Primary and Preparatory Departments (Nursery to Year 7) - Total 12,569 22,301 34,870 174,778 7.2 12.8 20.0
Secondary (non grammar) schools 9,408 12,128 21,536 90,075 10.4 13.5 23.9
Grammar Schools 1,939 3,151 5,090 66,691 2.9 4.7 7.6
Post primary schools - Total 11,347 15,279 26,626 156,766 7.2 9.7 17.0
Special Schools # c 7,729 7,729 # c 100.0
EOTAS Centres # # 22 25 # # 88.0
All Nursery, Primary, Post-Primary, Special, Pre-school and EOTAS 31,954 38,752 70,706 351,238 9.1 11.0 20.1

Notes:

  1. From 2021, children with Special Education Needs are assessed under the 3 stages of the SEN Code of Practice

  2. Enrolments for special schools and EOTAS centres relate those where pupils are single registered to the school or are dual registered and the special school/EOTAS centre is recorded as the main school

  3. Preschool aged pupils enrolled in Specialist Provision in Mainstream have been presented separately from other preschool aged pupils, they are not part of PSEP. See ‘notes for readers’ points 4 and 10.


Table 7b

Table 7b: The number of pupils in special educational provision by school type, 2020/21 - 2025/26

School Type 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 2025/26
Nursery Schools 0 0 0 8 21 30
Primary Schools - Pre-school age 0 0 45 76 86 77
Primary Schools (Year 1 - Year 7) 1,318 1,558 1,829 2,255 2,701 3,224
Post-primary 855 1,147 1,300 1,499 1,751 1,955
Total SPiM 2,173 2,705 3,174 3,838 4,559 5,286
Special Schools 6,403 6,653 6,930 7,192 7,462 7,729
ALL SPiM and Special School pupils 8,576 9,358 10,104 11,030 12,021 13,015

Notes:

  1. Specialist Provision in Mainstream (previously known as ‘Learning Support Centres’ or ‘SPiM’) refers to classes/units in mainstream primary and post primary schools that have been approved by the Education Authority for the purpose of making educational provisions for pupils with statements of special educational needs. There are several different types of Specialist Provision for example, Social Communication (Autism), Learning, Behaviour, Hearing, Physical, or Speech.

  2. From 2022/23, Specialist Provision was extended to pre-school aged pupils.