Minister for Education and Youth welcomes strong participation in the national Primary School Survey as parents and school communities have their say on the future of primary schools
- Published on: 7 April 2026
- Last updated on: 7 April 2026
Minister for Education and Youth Hildegarde Naughton has today welcomed the exceptionally high level of engagement in the national Primary School Survey, with over 200,000 households submitting validated responses, alongside strong participation from school staff and Boards of Management.
This significant response marks an important step in ensuring that parents and school communities are central to shaping the future direction of primary education.
The department is continuing its detailed analysis of the survey data and is preparing finalised school-specific results for each of the more than 3,200 primary schools that took part.
Preliminary national findings indicate that:
- Approximately 60% of parents in denominational schools wish to retain that ethos.
- Approximately 73% of parents in the 276 single‑sex primary schools favour a move to co‑education.
- Approximately 87% of parents in English-medium schools support maintaining English as the primary language of instruction.
While these figures provide a national overview, it is important to note that it is the preferences within each individual school community that will determine future direction. Demand for change, or continuity, will vary from school to school. A good response rate at individual school level will also be relevant in assessing the parental preferences.
In the coming weeks, detailed school-specific reports will be issued to each of the more than 3,200 participating primary schools. These reports will support patrons, Boards of Management, staff, and parents in considering next steps and their future direction.
Speaking today, Minister for Education and Youth Hildegarde Naughton said:
“School communities have spoken, and their message is clear that parents want a central role in shaping the future of their children’s education. We have seen an extraordinary level of engagement in the national Primary School Survey, with over 200,000 households responding, which shows a deep commitment from families, staff and Boards of Management to the direction of their local schools.
“While national trends provide us with a useful context, the most important insight is that every school community is different. The future of each school will be guided not by a one-size-fits-all approach, but by the preferences of its own parents, guardians and wider school community.”
Continuing, Minister Naughton said:
“In some communities, there is a strong desire to maintain existing traditions and ethos. In others, there is a clear appetite for change, whether in relation to school type or structure. That diversity of views must be respected and reflected. As school-specific reports issue in the coming weeks, they will empower communities with the evidence they need to make informed decisions. This is about putting parents and school communities firmly at the heart of decision making for their schools.”
The Minister emphasised that:
- There will be full transparency, with all school specific reports to be published.
- Schools will receive clear explanatory guidance to help them interpret their results and understand the steps available to them.
- Any change of a school’s ethos or status should be supported by the evidence base provided by the parental survey results. Schools will have time and space to reflect on what is best for their community.
- The department will provide support to schools that choose to request inclusion in the first tranche of schools seeking to change their status.
In addition, the department will shortly begin consultations with key stakeholders to develop guidance on best practice arrangements for supporting pupils in denominational schools whose parents request that they do not attend religious instruction. This work aims to ensure that best practice is identified and shared with schools to help them to implement practical, inclusive arrangements.
The department will continue to update school communities, stakeholders and the public as the process moves into its next phase.
Notes for editors
County breakdown of preferences from the parents and guardians of children currently in primary school*
|
COUNTY |
|||
|
CARLOW |
64.7% |
70.8% |
85.9% |
|
CAVAN |
65.5% |
82.2% |
84.7% |
|
CLARE |
59.0% |
86.7% |
84.8% |
|
CORK |
55.0% |
70.0% |
87.8% |
|
DONEGAL |
70.9% |
Not applicable** |
85.3% |
|
DUBLIN |
56.3% |
71.3% |
86.6% |
|
GALWAY |
61.6% |
87.8% |
85.5% |
|
KERRY |
63.6% |
69.0% |
84.9% |
|
KILDARE |
55.9% |
79.3% |
87.5% |
|
KILKENNY |
59.4% |
74.2% |
86.3% |
|
LAOIS |
65.8% |
66.0% |
87.5% |
|
LEITRIM |
62.2% |
Not applicable** |
87.6% |
|
LIMERICK |
65.0% |
63.5% |
87.3% |
|
LONGFORD |
70.5% |
73.3% |
88.4% |
|
LOUTH |
63.8% |
67.2% |
86.7% |
|
MAYO |
66.3% |
Not applicable** |
85.8% |
|
MEATH |
61.1% |
76.8% |
86.8% |
|
MONAGHAN |
70.5% |
82.3% |
88.8% |
|
OFFALY |
68.3% |
78.5% |
87.8% |
|
ROSCOMMON |
65.8% |
72.3% |
85.9% |
|
SLIGO |
59.2% |
Not applicable** |
84.7% |
|
TIPPERARY |
62.1% |
73.5% |
86.9% |
|
WATERFORD |
54.5% |
62.7% |
88.8% |
|
WESTMEATH |
64.7% |
74.4% |
88.0% |
|
WEXFORD |
58.4% |
Not applicable** |
86.9% |
|
WICKLOW |
50.5% |
78.2% |
86.9% |
* While these figures show the picture at county level, it is the parental preferences at individual school level that will show the actual demand for change, or otherwise. Demand may vary from school to school, depending on the preferences of the parental community of each individual school.
**there are no single-sex primary schools in these counties.
What do the high-level figures mean?
The high-level figures give a general picture of the preferences of parents with children in primary school, at a national level and at county level. The figures refer to:
- the preferences of parents and guardians of children in denominational schools that expressed a preference for their school’s ethos to remain denominational;
- the preferences of parents and guardians of children in the 276 single‑sex schools that indicated a preference for their school to transition to co‑education; and
- the preferences of parents and guardians in schools that teach mainly through English that expressed a preference for English to remain the primary language of instruction.
The department is continuing its detailed analysis of the survey data and is preparing finalised school specific reports for every primary school.
It is the parental preferences at individual school level that will show the actual demand for change, or otherwise.
Demand may vary from school to school, depending on the preferences of the parental community of each individual school. A good response rate at individual school level will also be relevant in assessing the parental preferences.
Overview of what will happen next
In early May, every primary school will receive their individual school-specific report, along with clear information on the steps a school may need to take, where the parental preference shows demand for change. When schools receive their school-specific report, each school will have time and space to reflect on the parental survey results. The school-specific reports will include the preferences of parents and guardians of pupils currently in the school and the preferences of parents and guardians of incoming pupils. The information which will be provided to schools will also include guidance, aimed at enabling schools to interpret their results so it would be clear to each school whether there is a preference for the school to remain as is or whether there is a preference for change.
Based on the preferences of their parents as returned in the survey, schools will be asked to consider if they wish to be included in the first tranche of schools to action any changes needed. Any change of a school’s ethos or status should be supported by the patron and the evidence base provided by the parental survey results as set out in the school specific report.
The department is currently preparing the information and guidance for schools, along with finalising the school specific reports. The department is also working on a communications and stakeholder management plan, with the aim of providing clarity on the various elements, including clarity on what schools are being asked to do.
The department will provide support to schools that choose to request inclusion in the first tranche of schools seeking to action any changes needed.
Overview of validation process
The survey was designed so that all survey responses would be subject to a structured validation process after survey responses were received to ensure that submissions were genuine, unique, and met the eligibility criteria. In total, 241,301 survey submissions were received. Following the validation process, 200,381 submissions (83.0%) were validated, while 40,920 submissions (17.0%) were deemed invalid.
Most invalid submissions, 35,032, (85.6%) arose due to duplicate entries associated with Eircodes that had already been used to submit a response. This was anticipated during the design phase, as the promotional campaigns reminded households on a number of occasions to make a submission. The majority of duplicate submissions coincided with the timing of the key publicity events of the promotional campaign. There is strong evidence that households were simply ensuring their preference was captured, rather than changing preference or not acting in good faith. A smaller proportion were invalidated because the Eircode, while structurally valid, could not be linked to the relevant administrative data sources (7.4% of invalid submissions), or because the Eircode was identified as invalid (7.0% of invalid submissions).
The 35,032 duplicate submissions were associated with 31,072 unique Eircodes. Of these Eircodes, 26,481, (85%) submitted responses that were fully consistent across the three questions - in these cases, the retained submission and the rejected duplicate expressed identical preferences and only one submission was retained. In the remaining cases, 4,591, (15%), the duplicate submission differed from the retained response on at least one of the three preference questions - in these cases, only the first valid submission associated with an Eircode was retained.
The validation process along with the overall survey design were ultimately in place to maximise both participation and statistical reliability. By applying structured validation checks to all submissions, the department ensured that only eligible, unique and verified responses were included in the final dataset.
Following validation, 200,381 responses were retained for analysis. This represents 41.3% of all eligible households and constitutes a very large analytical base for a national survey of this nature. Taken together, the scale of participation and the multi-layered validation controls provide a robust and reliable foundation for subsequent analysis by the department.