The table illustrates the percentages of students enrolled in four distinct categories of secondary schools over a nine-year period from 2000 to 2009.
Overall, community schools experienced a dramatic surge in popularity, becoming the most attended school type by the end of the period. Conversely
attendance across the other three school categories saw steady declines, with voluntary-controlled schools experiencing the sharpest drop.
In 2000, voluntary-controlled schools were by far the most popular choice, accounting for over half of all pupils at 52%. However, this figure dropped significantly to 38% in 2005, before declining to just 20% by 2009. Grammar schools followed a similar downward trend, with enrollment halving from 24% in 2000 to 12% in 2009. Specialist schools remained the least popular throughout the period, experiencing a marginal decline from 12% to 10%.
In stark contrast, community schools started with a modest 12% attendance rate in 2000, matching specialist schools. Their popularity then soared, nearly tripling to 32% in 2005, and continued to climb rapidly to finish at a dominant 58%in 2009.
