I recently welcomed the publication of the latest retention rates report, which shows significant and encouraging progress with several key indicators reaching record highs. The report shows that 98.4% of students completed the Junior Cycle, the highest retention rate since records began, reflecting strong engagement in early post-primary education and continued success in supporting students through these critical years.
At Senior Cycle, 90% of students progressed to sit the Leaving Certificate, maintaining strong overall retention levels. The Leaving Certificate Applied programme also achieved a record retention rate of 86.1%, underlining the importance of diverse pathways in supporting student success.
Ireland has one of the lowest early school leaving rates in Europe, with just 3.6% of 18-to-24-year-olds categorized as early leavers according to recent Eurostat data. This places the country significantly ahead of the EU-wide average of 9.1%. All of the department’s annual retention reports may be found at this link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/collections/retention/
The 2018 cohort data show that Cork County is one of the stronger-performing local authorities for student retention through secondary school, with a 91.0% Leaving Certificate retention rate. Cork City also performs reasonably well, exceeding several other cities and urban authorities. The pattern is consistent with a broader trend whereby large urban areas tend to have somewhat lower retention rates than many rural and commuter-belt counties.
|
Area
|
Junior Cert Retention
|
Leaving Cert Retention
|
|
Cork County
|
98.4%
|
91.0%
|
|
Cork City
|
98.1%
|
90.2%
|
There was a decrease of 389 students in Cork County before the Leaving Certificate milestone, equivalent to 9.0% of the cohort, which is better than many local authorities and above the national average. There was a decrease of 281 students in Cork City, equivalent to 9.8%, slightly worse than Cork County but better than Dublin City, South Dublin and Galway City.
