The demand for places at schools with official integrated status varies across Northern Ireland, a report has found.
The report, Integrated Education Demand: Evidence, Insights, and Limitations, published by the Department of Education, is the first published of a series of annual monitoring reports under the Integrated Education Act 2022.
The report said, while there is no single measure of demand for integrated education, it considered admissions data, survey evidence, ballots and geographic analysis to examine parental behaviour as well as preference.
However, it also found that admissions data provides the clearest indication of actual parental behaviour and therefore carries the strongest evidential weight.
📢 ANNOUNCEMENT | Integrated Education Demand report published
— Education NI (@Education_NI) May 19, 2026
In line with the duty set out in the Integrated Education Act 2022 to encourage, facilitate and support the development of Integrated Education, the Department of Education has today published a new report,… pic.twitter.com/BOL0EEPjGH
It said analysis found demand for integrated education is “unevenly distributed across Northern Ireland”.
It went on: “Oversubscription is concentrated in a relatively small number of schools and council areas, while many other areas continue to have more approved admission numbers than first preference applications.
“This pattern suggests that pressures reflect school specific popularity and localised patterns of choice rather than system-wide demand for integrated places.
“Behavioural demand, therefore, appears to be shaped primarily by established factors such as school reputation, admissions criteria and accessibility rather than by uniform levels of preference across the region.”
The report found “sustained oversubscription” at Lagan College, Slemish College, Strangford College, Parkhall Integrated College, Hazelwood integrated College and Ulidia Integrated College.
Meanwhile, it found undersubscription in areas including Derry City and Strabane, Causeway Coast and Glens and Fermanagh and Omagh council areas.
Education Minister Paul Givan described the publication of the report as “significant”.
“For the first time, we now have a comprehensive and balanced assessment of demand, which draws on a range of evidence to support informed decision making across the system,” he said.
“This evidence shows that demand for integrated education is present but uneven. Pressures are concentrated in a relatively small number of schools.
“This reinforces the need to plan proportionately, using reliable evidence and aligning with wider demographic and sustainability challenges in education in Northern Ireland.”
He added: “My priority is to ensure that every child and young person can access high quality education that meets their needs.
“Where there is clear and demonstrable demand for integrated education, it is right that we respond. However, this must be done in a way that is sustainable, makes best use of public resources and is considered alongside broader area planning requirements.”
