Situated on Scotland's south west coast, North Ayrshire has a population of 135,490, and encompasses 885 square kilometres, including the islands of Arran and the Cumbraes. There are 66 publicly funded schools, including 53 primaries, 9 secondaries and 4 special schools. 19,437 pupils attend these schools, including 10,492 primary pupils, 8,774 secondary pupils and 171 special needs pupils.