The provision of post-primary school places and the operation of admissions processes are matters for individual school authorities, in line with their published admissions policies and relevant legislation. Schools determine their own intake numbers and maintain their own enrolment and waiting list information.
The Department does not centrally collate or hold a definitive dataset of available places or waiting lists by school planning area. Consequently, it is not possible for the Department to provide a comprehensive table of post-primary places in Dublin or to confirm current waiting list numbers for 2026/27.
Information on first-year intake numbers for individual schools is published in each school’s Admissions Notice on their respective websites. National enrolment data is available on gov.ie.
While the Department engages regularly with post-primary schools in Dublin city as part of its planning for September 2026, including requesting admissions data where potential pressures have been identified, this information is point-in-time and does not capture pupils who may subsequently secure places elsewhere or be added to school lists after data returns.
The Department has not imposed any reduction in post-primary places for 2026/27. Decisions on intake levels remain with school authorities, within agreed parameters.
Data available to my department for the 2024/25 academic year highlights that 7.87% of first year places were unfilled across all school planning areas in Co. Dublin. Each of the school planning areas mentioned had unfilled places in 2024/2025.
The provision of additional school places can be required in a very small number of areas. This can be facilitated by a range of strategies, some of which may involve additional accommodation but also optimising use of existing capacity.
The Department continues to work with schools, patrons and management bodies to monitor enrolment trends and to ensure that sufficient capacity is available to meet demand in Co. Dublin and nationally.
