Education Investment
Estimated€19.1bn
As of 2026
Combined Department of Education and Department of Further and Higher Education (DFHERIS) budgets.
Represents 5.0% of GNI* · 2.7% of GDP · 16.2% of gross voted expenditure · +14.2% real YoY.
Education
Education in Ireland
This module tracks government financial investment, student enrollment flows, workforce capacity, and overall student outcomes across Ireland's education system.
Cross-topic compare on Explore — mix this subject with others.
Headline Figures
The latest available view of investment, class sizes, Leaving Cert completion and progression to college in Ireland.
Classroom Pressure
Estimated22.2Pupils
As of 2025
Average pupils per class in mainstream national schools. Represents the classroom reality on the ground.
Change: 0.0 since 2024 (1 year) · -1.1 since 2020 (5 years).
Leaving Cert Completion Rate
90%
Secondary School Retention
9 in every 10 students who enter secondary school finish their Leaving Certificate.
Unchanged from last year · Down 1.7 points over 2 years.
Latest published cohort: students who entered secondary school in 2018.
College Progression Rate
Estimated65%
Higher Education Entry
Roughly 2 in 3 school leavers progress directly into university or college.
Excludes apprenticeships, PLC courses, and direct workforce entry.
Estimated from available records — there is no official annual series covering every school-leaver destination.
Figures use latest available vintage per measure — periods differ across the scorecard.
Ireland's Education at an EU Glance
How Ireland compares with other EU countries on six official measures. Green badges are strengths; amber marks a pressure point.
Third-Level Attainment
1st of 2766.8%
EU-27 average: 44.8%
Share of people aged 25 to 34 who hold a higher education qualification.
Source: Eurostat (edat_lfse_03) · 2025
Science & Tech Graduates
1st of 2739.8 per 1,000
EU-27 average: 23.0 per 1,000
Science, maths, computing and engineering graduates per 1,000 people aged 20 to 29.
Ireland's figure is flagged by Eurostat as using a definition that differs from the standard.
Source: Eurostat (educ_uoe_grad04) · 2024
Teen Reading Literacy
1st of 26516
EU average (26 countries): 468.6
Average reading score of 15-year-old students in the OECD PISA test.
Luxembourg did not take part in PISA 2022, so the EU comparison covers 26 countries.
Source: OECD PISA 2022, via Educational Research Centre national report (Table 4.2) (PISA 2022) · 2022
Early School Leavers
3rd lowest of 263.6%
EU-27 average: 9.1%
Share of 18 to 24 year olds who left education without finishing upper secondary school and are not in training.
Luxembourg has no 2025 figure, so the ranking covers 26 countries.
Source: Eurostat (edat_lfse_14) · 2025
Recent Graduates in Work
5th of 2792.7%
EU-27 average: 86.9%
Higher education graduates aged 20 to 34 in work 1 to 3 years after graduating.
Source: Eurostat (edat_lfse_24) · 2025
Primary School Class Size
3rd largest of 2422.5 pupils
EU-25 average (OECD): 19.3 pupils
Average number of pupils per class in public primary schools. Larger classes are a pressure point.
OECD EU-25 average covers EU members that are also in the OECD. Belgium, Cyprus and Malta have no figure.
Source: OECD Education at a Glance (Average class size) (OECD DF_UOE_NF_PERS_CLS) · 2024
Latest year available for each measure, so years differ between cards. Figures checked against Eurostat and OECD on 2026-10-02.
Government Budget and Expenditure
This section details how national public funding is allocated across the education system and the direct financial costs faced by students.
In Irish government finance, a “Vote” means a specific budget allocation approved by the Dáil. We use “Budget Allocation” below for clarity.
Education Votes by department and category
Ireland·2020–2026·EUR
Data notes & limitations
DoE and DFHERIS Vote-line category stacks (payroll, capitation, transport, capital, programmes) from HITL Budget/REV/FREV (estimated).
Categories sum to department totals; departments sum to the combined edu.budget_total for the same vintage.
Not interchangeable with EDA24 expenditure by level of education.
Stacked bars show Department of Education and Youth and DFHERIS Vote Group allocations by category. 2026 uses the Further Revised Estimate. These are funding streams, not OECD or CSO expenditure outturns.
2020–2026 · Combined DoE + DFHERIS Vote Group allocations (estimated HITL)
Stacked bars show Department of Education and Youth and DFHERIS Vote Group allocations by category. 2026 uses the Further Revised Estimate for Education and Youth (including the April mid-year uplift). These are high-level funding streams, not OECD/CSO expenditure outturns or spend per student. Combined headline for 2026: €19.1bn.
Day-One Third-Level Costs vs. State Expenditure per Student
2023 State Expenditure / Current Day-One Costs · Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO EDA24) and Estimated Institutional Averages
State expenditure figures reflect official public spending per student at each education level. “Day-one costs” are the immediate fees families face; mandatory local college levies mean these can exceed the official Student Contribution Charge.
Primary School Average Class Size
Historical to 2025 · Source: CSO EDA21; latest year Department of Education class-size tables (estimated HITL)
Primary School Average Class Size
Ireland·2025·Pupils
Time series
Primary School Average Class Size
Data notes & limitations
Average class size in mainstream national schools (CSO EDA21) — pupils per class. Not the pupil–teacher ratio.
When CSO lags, companion HITL-EDU-CLASS-SIZE may supply a provisional DoE year (estimated, method edu.class_size_avg.provisional.v1). Observed EDA21 rows are never overwritten.
Average pupils per class in mainstream national schools. Not the pupil–teacher staffing allocation ratio.
Average pupils per class in mainstream national (primary) schools. Not the official pupil–teacher staffing allocation ratio.
Student Enrollment
Historical to 2025 · Source: Central Statistics Office (EDA57 primary, EDA69 post-primary, HEA01 third level); newer post-primary and third-level years from Department of Education and HEA publications (estimated)
Student Enrollment
Ireland·2025·Headcount
Time series
Full-Time Enrollments by Education Level
- Official figures
- Estimated (newer years, not yet on the main CSO table)
Calculation notes
Solid lines are official CSO figures. Dotted lines are newer estimates from the Department of Education and the Higher Education Authority.
Data notes & limitations
Student enrolments by level from live CSO tables: EDA57 (primary), EDA69 (post-primary), HEA01 (third level). Replaces discontinued EDA37 (ended 2016/17).
Editorial uses State totals — All first level school programmes; Dept-aided second level; HEA01 All fields (genders summed). Series end years may differ by level.
When CSO lags, HITL-EDU-ENROL estimated years extend post-primary (DoE bulletins) and third level (HEA Key Facts) as dotted chart segments. Never overwrites observed rows.
Full-time enrolments for the official lines. Estimated third-level totals from the HEA count all study modes.
Primary enrolments are easing from recent peaks; post-primary numbers remain near record highs before the cohort filters into third level.
Solid lines are the official CSO figures. Dotted lines are newer estimates from the Department of Education (post-primary) and the Higher Education Authority (third level), shown because those years are not on the main CSO tables yet. Treat dotted years as a guide, not final official statistics — they may be revised when the CSO catches up.
This tracks the “wave” of students moving from primary to post-primary and into third level. It includes full-time enrollments only for the solid CSO lines; estimated third-level totals from the HEA count all study modes.
Workforce Capacity and Support Network
School teachers and SNAs are shown separately from third-level academic staff (HEA) and from sparse support-service headcounts (NEPS, SENO, TESS). Units and agencies differ — do not add the charts together.
Series starts in 2015, when Primary (EDA100) and Post-primary (EDA82) are both published.
School teachers (Primary + Post-primary FTE)
2015–latest CSO year · Source: CSO EDA100 and EDA82 (Department-aided All FTE). No 2025 FTE on PxStat yet.
School teachers (Primary + Post-primary FTE)
Ireland·2015–latest CSO year·FTE
Data notes & limitations
Primary (EDA100) and post-primary (EDA82) All Full-time Equivalent teacher metrics stacked in the editorial. No single CSO All-teachers cell.
Editorial chart starts in 2015 when both Primary and Post-primary Department-aided totals are published.
Department-aided All FTE from CSO EDA100 and EDA82. No 2025 FTE on PxStat yet. Do not add this chart to SNA or third-level staff.
School support — SNA posts (WTE)
2015–2025 · Source: NCSE Open Data + Oireachtas (estimated HITL). WTE posts — not teacher FTE.
School support — SNA posts (WTE)
Ireland·2015–2025·WTE
Data notes & limitations
National SNA WTE posts: NCSE Open Data calendar year 2015–2023; Oireachtas PQ allocation totals for 2024 and 2025. Estimated. Not teacher FTE.
NCSE open data and Oireachtas figures. WTE posts, not teacher FTE.
Third-level academic staff (core WTE)
31 December snapshots · Source: HEA Institutional Staff Profiles (estimated HITL). Separate from school teachers. 2025 awaits Year End 2025 publication.
Third-level academic staff (core WTE)
Ireland·31 December snapshots·WTE
Data notes & limitations
HEA Institutional Staff Profiles — Academic core-funded WTE (31 December). HITL estimated. Separate from school teacher FTE.
2016–2020 from PDF sector overviews; 2021–2024 from HEA Excel downloads. No 2025 until Year End 2025 publishes.
HEA Institutional Staff Profiles, academic core-funded WTE. Separate from school teachers. Labelled estimated.
Academic core-funded WTE only. HEA Staff Profiles are an EDI monitoring return — labelled Estimated on this platform.
Specialist support staff for schools
NEPS, SENO, TESS · 2020–2025
- Psychologists (NEPS) — National Educational Psychological Service. Educational psychologists who assess pupils and advise schools on learning, behaviour and wellbeing.
- Special needs organisers (SENO) — Special Educational Needs Organisers, employed by the NCSE. Local officers who allocate special-education supports such as SNAs and special classes, and help families find school places.
- Welfare officers (TESS) — Tusla Education Support Service. Educational welfare officers who work on school attendance and keeping children in education.
Specialist support staff for schools
Ireland·2020–2025·Persons
Data notes & limitations
NEPS psychologist whole-time equivalents from Ministerial answers (HITL): 2020–2023 PQ 552 (9 Sep 2024), 2024 PQ 323 (18 Sep 2024), 2025 PQ 398 (20 May 2025). State only. Not interpolated.
Pre-2020 archive point (2014 base) is outside the 2020–2025 Education chart window.
Serving SENOs (in post, not sanctioned posts) from Ministerial answers (HITL): 2020–2024 PQ 391 (20 Mar 2024; 2024 as of March), 2025 PQ 96 (6 Feb 2025). State only.
TESS educational welfare officer WTE from Oireachtas / Tusla published snapshots (HITL). Sparse years — gaps not interpolated.
Staff capacity only — not absenteeism demand. See edu.chronic_absence_postprimary (SCA31) for attendance.
NEPS, SENO and TESS do different jobs and are counted differently. Do not add the bars together.
- Figures are taken from published Ministerial answers and checked by hand (labelled Estimated). State totals only. Each year is one published snapshot, not an annual average.
- Psychologists (NEPS): whole-time equivalents. 2020–2023 from Oireachtas PQ 552 (9 Sep 2024); 2024 from PQ 323 (18 Sep 2024); 2025 from PQ 398 (20 May 2025).
- Special needs organisers (SENO): SENOs in post, not sanctioned posts. 2020–2024 from Oireachtas PQ 391 (20 Mar 2024; 2024 is March); 2025 from PQ 96 (6 Feb 2025), after the NCSE expansion to 120.
- Welfare officers (TESS): whole-time equivalents at year end (2025 is September), from Oireachtas PQ 575 (20 Jan 2026).
- The three services do different jobs and are counted differently. Compare trends within each service — do not add the bars together.
Equity, Attendance, and Educational Outcomes
This section monitors student retention, absenteeism, and academic proficiency, with a specific focus on the gap between DEIS (disadvantaged) and non-DEIS schools.
Leaving Certificate Retention: DEIS vs. Non-DEIS
Historical to 2018 cohort · Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO EDA18)
Leaving Certificate Retention: DEIS vs. Non-DEIS
Ireland·2018 cohort·%
Time series
Leaving Certificate Retention: DEIS vs. Non-DEIS
Data notes & limitations
Leaving Cert retention for DEIS schools (CSO EDA18 Type of School = DEIS schools).
Companion to edu.retention_non_deis. Does not replace State All-schools KPI edu.retention_rate. Cohort-based; lags.
Leaving Cert retention for non-DEIS schools (CSO EDA18 Type of School = Non-DEIS schools).
Companion to edu.retention_deis. Does not replace State All-schools KPI edu.retention_rate.
Retention tracks a starting cohort through to completion, so the data lags. DEIS status is not used to rank individual schools.
Retention tracks a starting cohort through to completion, so the data naturally lags. DEIS status monitors national equity gaps; it is not used to rank individual schools.
Chronic Absence Rates by DEIS Status
Historical to 2023 · Source: Central Statistics Office (SCA31)
Chronic Absence Rates by DEIS Status
Ireland·2023·%
Data notes & limitations
Post-primary share of pupils absent 20+ days (CSO SCA31). Prefer All education institutions × All DEIS and Non-DEIS for the headline.
Attendance / disengagement demand proxy — not TESS staff headcount and not a school league table.
Chronic absence means missing 20 or more scheduled school days. SCA31. Attendance demand is separate from educational-welfare-officer staffing.
Chronic absence means missing 20 or more scheduled school days in one year. Attendance demand is tracked separately from educational-welfare-officer staffing.
Early School Leavers (Ages 18–24)
Historical to 2026 · Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO EDQ07)
Early School Leavers (Ages 18–24)
Ireland·2026·%
Time series
Early School Leavers (Ages 18–24)
Data notes & limitations
Early school leavers aged 18–24 (CSO EDQ07). Prefer Both sexes; sex as a chart cut.
Population outcome — not a school ranking.
Share of the population aged 18–24 who left school early, not a measurement of any specific school.
This is the share of the general population aged 18–24 who left school early, not a measurement of any specific school.
PISA Scores: Share of Students Below Level 2 Proficiency
PISA cycle years · Source: OECD PISA Data (CSO G0408/G0410)
PISA Scores: Share of Students Below Level 2 Proficiency
Ireland·PISA cycles·%
Time series
PISA Scores: Share Below Level 2 Proficiency
Data notes & limitations
Share of 15-year-olds below PISA Level 2 in mathematics (CSO G0408). National proficiency tail — not a school ranking.
Share of 15-year-olds below PISA Level 2 in reading (CSO G0410). National proficiency tail — not a school ranking.
National share below basic Level 2 proficiency in reading and mathematics. Figures are averaged between male and female students where both are published.
This tracks the national share below basic Level 2 proficiency in reading and mathematics. Figures are averaged between male and female students per cycle where both are published.
Regional Breakdown
This section maps historical educational outcomes across different counties in Ireland.
Secondary School Completion by County
Latest available local cohort · Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO EDA17). County cohort data heavily lags national averages. Do not read this map as current local conditions. School-level lists and rankings remain entirely out of scope.
Historical county cohort data (Leaving Cert) — latest available 2012. Not a current local conditions map.
Secondary School Completion by County
Ireland (State)·2012·%
Leaving Cert retention
Contains Tailte Éireann National Statutory Boundaries 2019 (Generalised 20m). CC BY 4.0. · Period 2012 · Leaving Cert retention
Data notes & limitations
County Leaving Certificate retention from CSO EDA17 metric “First Year Entrants who sat the Leaving Certificate”. No State row on this table.
Missing counties stay unpainted. County vintage may lag the State KPI (EDA18) — show cohort year honestly.
Historical county cohorts — do not present as current local conditions without the vintage banner.
County Junior Certificate retention from CSO EDA17 metric “First Year Entrants who sat the Junior Certificate”. No State row on this table.
Missing counties stay unpainted. Cohort-based; vintage may lag. Not third-level progression.
National school pupils by county (CSO EDA57). Prefer Pupils in National Schools; All first level school programmes cut.
Second-level pupils by county (CSO EDA69). Prefer Pupils receiving Second Level Education; school counts are a different metric.
Contains Tailte Éireann National Statutory Boundaries 2019 (Generalised 20m). CC BY 4.0. County cohort data lags national averages. Do not read this map as current local conditions. Third-level progression is State-only.