Multi-denominational secondary school enrolments exceed Catholic counterparts

Enrolments have continued to increase at multi-denominational schools, up by a further 572 students since last September, new figures from the Department of Education show.

More students attend multi-denominational post-primary schools now than Catholic schools as enrolments continued to increase last year.

Figures from the Department of Education show that 206,792 students now attend a multi-denominational post-primary school, representing 48.6% of student enrolments.

A further 202,351 pupils attend Catholic post-primary schools, representing 47.6% of enrolments, and more than 12,400 students attend Church of Ireland schools.

The number of enrolments at multi-denominational post-primary schools exceeded the numbers enrolled at Catholic schools for the first time ever during the 2023/24 school year.

Enrolments have continued to increase at multi-denominational schools, up by a further 572 students since last September, new figures from the department show. This compares to a rise of 3,103 in the number of students attending Catholic post-primary schools.

Church of Ireland schools also saw a small decrease in enrolments, from 12,416 in 2023 to 12,404 in 2024.

According to the Department of Education, the number of post-primary schools has been gradually increasing for the last number of years. This went from a “low” of 700 in 2013, to a “high” of 730 in 2020.

“Numbers have since fallen to 722 in 2024 due to a decrease in Catholic schools,” it stated. Meanwhile, the number of multi-denominational schools has increased by 11.5%, from 321 in 2013 to 358 in 2024.

In the same period, the number of Catholic schools has decreased by 4.3%, from 350 to 337.

Catholic ethos

A number of closures, amalgamations, and openings have led to a gradual decline in the total number of primary schools, the figures from the Department of Education show.

However, despite these changes, Catholic schools still make up the majority of mainstream primary schools, with 88.3% of schools having a Catholic ethos in 2024.

Since 2013, the number of Catholic primary schools has fallen by 121, from 2,843 to 2,722, while the number of multi-denominational schools has risen from 104 to 170, an increase of 63%.

The figures also show that the largest increase in enrolments at both primary and post-primary combined occurred in multi-denominational schools, up a further 2.5% between 2023 and 2024.

Overall, 251,804 students attend multi-denominational primary and post-primary schools as of September 2024 — compared to 681,849 attending Catholic schools.

Total enrolments in post-primary schools stood at 425,433 as of last September (2024), an increase of 8,858 pupils, or 2.1%, when compared to September 2023. This includes enrolments of 7,177 Ukrainian pupils. Excluding Ukrainian students, enrolments increased by 8,517.