Classroom sizes: Find out how your child's school fares as counties worst hit for overcrowding revealed (2024)

Average class sizes in primary schools have reached their lowest level in 20 years, with 4,000 fewer pupils in first-level education last year.

But nearly one in 10 pupils are still in oversized classes of 30 or more.

Some counties, including Leitrim, Donegal, Sligo and Monaghan, are more likely to have oversized classes, according to an analysis by the Irish Independent.

The largest average class size was among schools in Kildare at 24 pupils per class, while the lowest average was in schools in Longford, with 20.9 pupils per class.

Overall, new figures published by the Department of Education show that a declining number of pupils of primary-school age has had a positive effect on class sizes, There were 10,000 fewer pupils in overcrowded classes last year compared to 12 months earlier.

The figures reveal that the average class size for the last school year was 22.5 pupils per class – down from 22.8 in the 2022-23 academic year. It peaked at 25.2 pupils in 2002 but has been in almost continuous decline since 2016, when it stood at 24.9.

In a positive trend, almost one in five children in primary schools were enrolled in classes of 20 or fewer pupils.

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In several counties, including Offaly, Longford, Mayo, Roscommon and Tipperary, more than a quarter of pupils are in such small class sizes. However, fewer than one in 10 pupils in schools in Kildare find themselves in classes of 20 or under.

Details of class sizes in almost 3,100 primary schools last year can be accessed on the Irish Independent’s interactive online table.

The data is sourced from the National School Annual Census and compiled by the Department based on the number of enrolments on September 30, 2023, submitted by individual schools.

The figures relate to mainstream classes in mainstream primary schools only and exclude private or fee-paying schools.

Overall, the total number of mainstream pupils at primary level last year decreased by 0.7pc to 535,111. At the same time, there were more than 220 additional mainstream classroom teachers to bring the total to 23,818.

Commenting on the latest figures, the Department of Education said pupil demographics are a key driver for teacher demand.

Allocations are currently based on class averages of 23 pupils to determine the number of teaching posts allocated to a school, with lower thresholds for Deis schools.

“School authorities are requested to ensure that the number of pupils in any class is kept as low as possible,” a spokesperson said.

“In particular, school authorities should ensure that there is an equitable distribution of pupils in mainstream classes and that the differential between the largest and smallest classes is kept to a minimum.”

The spokesperson said three recent Budgets have resulted in an improvement in the allocation of teachers. This was brought from a rate of one in every 25 pupils in Budget 2021 to the current rate of one in every 23 pupils.

The latest figures also show there were more than 10,000 fewer students in oversized classes at primary education level last year.

A total of 51,028 pupils were in classes of 30 or more, representing 9.5pc of all children in primary school.

This is down almost two percentage points in the space of 12 months when 61,345 were being taught in oversized classes.

The proportion of pupils in such classes peaked at more than 25pc in 2005.

A total of 858 schools last year had at least one overcrowded class – which was down from more than 1,000 the previous year.

There were 46 different schools that had at least one class of 35 or more.

However, for the first time in many years, there was no record of a school having a class of 40 or more pupils.

The largest individual class, according to the records, was 39 pupils at Scoil Naomh Iosaf in Adare, Co Limerick. Two other national schools – in Caherleaheen, Co Kerry, and Ballyporeen, Co Tipperary – each had one class with 38 pupils.

The analysis also highlights how there is still considerable disparity between different parts of Ireland and the likelihood of children being in oversized classes.

Just 6.4pc of primary schoolchildren in Dublin were in classes of 30 or more last year, down from 8.5pc in the previous school year.

In sharp contrast, their counterparts in Leitrim are approximately four times more likely to be in overcrowded classes.

There were 27pc of Leitrim pupils in classes of 30 or more in the recent school year, up from 18.6pc in 2022-23.

Other counties with relatively high proportions of pupils in oversized classes were Donegal (14.7pc), Monaghan (14.6pc) and Sligo (14pc).

There is no statutory limit on the size of mainstream classes, although a 1990 circular issued by the Department of Education stated that “appropriate learning experience is difficult to achieve when classes consisting entirely of mainly four-year-old children exceeds 25”.

The latest figures show almost 47pc of children in primary schools remain in classes of 25 or more. On a county-by-county basis, that proportion ranges from under 32pc in Longford to almost 59pc in Leitrim.

Scoil Mobhí, a Gaelscoil in Glasnevin in Dublin, emerged again as the primary school with the highest average class size in the country.

It had an average of 31 pupils per class, across eight classrooms for its 248 pupils.

Two other schools also had average class sizes in excess of 30 pupils last year – Crinkill National School in Crinkill, Co Offaly (30.8 per class) and Scoil Mhuire in Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim (30.7).

In contrast, the country’s smallest school – Ballyfad National School in Co Wexford – had just two pupils.

The country’s largest primary school remains St Mary’s Parish Primary School in Drogheda, Co Louth, which had 1,006 pupils enrolled across 40 classes. It is the only primary school in the Republic with more than 1,000 students.

St Brigid’s Primary School in Kildare town has the largest number of classes of any school, with its 978 pupils spread across 42 classrooms.

The school with the highest proportion of its enrolment in large classes was Crinkill National School, Co Offaly, where 78pc of its 246 students were in classes of 30 or more.

Other schools where three-quarters or more of all pupils were in oversized classes were Castleconnell National School in Limerick; Holy Family National School in Rathcoole, Co Dublin and St Patrick’s National School, Ardcath, Co Meath.

The latest figures show Catholic schools had an average class size of 22.4 last year compared to 23.6 in multi-denominational schools.

However, children attending Catholic schools were also more than twice as likely to be placed in an overcrowded classroom than those attending multi-denominational schools.

The analysis reveals 10.1pc of pupils in Catholic schools or in classes of 30 or more compared to 4.9pc of those in multi-denominational schools.

Pupils attending Gaelscoileanna or Irish-medium schools are even more likely to find themselves in large classes

Gaelscoileanna located outside Gaeltacht areas had 13.8pc of their pupils in classes of 30 children or more, while the rate for schools teaching subjects either wholly or partially through English was 9.2pc.

In contrast, children in Deis schools located in the most socially disadvantaged urban areas were the least likely to be in overcrowded classes, at just 0.8pc, due to the fact they have a separate staffing schedule to other school types.

The latest figures also show the number of Ukrainian pupils enrolled at primary level continued to rise last year. According to the latest data, the number of Ukrainian children attending primary schools grew by 11pc to 11,267.

More than 55pc of the country’s mainstream primary schools had a pupil from Ukraine enrolled, while Ukrainian pupils accounted for 10pc or more of all pupils in 243 schools nationwide.

Schools in Cork recorded the highest level of enrolments of Ukrainian children with 1,168 pupils, followed by Dublin (1,120), Kerry (1,068) and Donegal (955).