Written answers
Tuesday, 17 June 2025
Department of Education and Skills
Early School Leavers
Jen Cummins (Dublin South Central, Social Democrats)
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448. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children that have left school before completing the Leaving Certificate or Leaving Certificate Applied, in the past five years, in tabular form. [32566/25]
Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The most recent figures available concerns the students who began their post primary education in 2017. This cohort were due to complete their Leaving Certificate in the academic years 2021-22 or 2022-23. Figures for the 2018 cohort finishing in 2023-24 are yet to be published. The following table shows the number for pupils leaving school before completing their Leaving Certificate:
| Year Post Primary Education Commenced | Total who left school prior to completing Leaving Cert |
|---|---|
| 2013 | 5,259 |
| 2014 | 5,169 |
| 2015 | 4,912 |
| 2016 | 5,324 |
| 2017 | 6,398 |
| Year Post Primary Education Commenced | Total who left school prior to completing Leaving Cert Applied |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 697 |
| 2017 | 803 |
Reports detailing retention rates in our post primary schools can be found here:
www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/collections/retention/.
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