2. Primary and Secondary Education

More than 90% of students in the U.K. attend publicly-funded state schools. Approximately 8.5 million children attend one of the 30 000 schools in England and Wales; in Scotland, 830 000 children attend about 5 000 schools, including pre-schools and other special education schools; and Northern Ireland sends 350 000 children to 1 300 state schools. Primary schools usually include both girls and boys as pupils. Secondary schools may be either single-sex or co-educational. Education departments in England, Scotland and Wales fund schools through a Local Education Authority （or Education Authority in Scotland）. In Northern Ireland, schools are largely financed from public funds through five Education and Library Boards.