Over 92% attendance recorded in Northern Ireland schools

Date published: 29 January 2026

New official accredited statistics published today by NISRA statisticians in the Department of Education outline key figures relating to attendance at grant-aided primary, post-primary and special schools in Northern Ireland for the 2024/25 academic year.

Key findings

• The overall attendance rate for primary, post-primary and special schools in the 2024/25 academic year was 92.1%, an increase of 0.4 percentage points from 2023/24.
• Primary schools recorded the highest attendance at 93.8%, up 0.5 percentage points from the previous year. Of the 6.2% of half days missed, 3.6% were authorised absence and 2.7% unauthorised.
• Post-primary schools had an attendance rate of 90.2%, with grammar schools (93.4%) outperforming non-grammar schools (88.1%). This represented an increase of 0.3 percentage points from 2023/24.
• Special schools saw the largest improvement, with attendance rising by 1.5 percentage points to 87.6%, though this sector continues to have the highest absence rate at 12.4%.
• Illness (non-Covid-19) remained the most common reason for absence across all school types, accounting for between 43.6% and 48.6% of absent half days. Absences due to medical/dental appointments accounted for 3.1% of missed half days in primary schools, 5.0% in post-primary schools and 7.0% in special schools.
• Pupils entitled to free school meals had an absence rate of 12.1%, compared with 6.4% for those not entitled, a gap of 5.7 percentage points.
• Compared with other UK nations, Northern Ireland's primary school absence rate (6.2%) was lower than Wales (7.4%) and Scotland (6.9%), though higher than England (5.2%).

About this publication

The purpose of this statistical bulletin is to present final attendance figures for schools for the 2024/25 academic year. It includes information on the rates of absence, type of absence and reason for absence.

Further information

Read the full report: Attendance at grant-aided primary, post-primary and special schools in Northern Ireland, 2024/25

View the data tables and background information: Attendance at grant aided primary, post primary and special schools 2024/25