The trend of decline in school enrolments is "more acute in rural areas", Minister for Education and Youth Hildegarde Naughton has said.

Enrolment in primary schools has been declining in recent years, the minister said.

The recently published enrolment figure for the 2025/2026 academic year is 6,759, or 1.25% lower than the previous year.

"This trend has been more acute in rural areas, resulting in declining enrolments in small rural schools," the minister said.

"The primary staffing schedule plays a central role in supporting sustainability at school level by aligning staffing resources with enrolment patterns."

Sinn Féin TD Conor McGuinness asked the minister about the steps she is taking to assist schools, primarily in rural areas, that are "facing closure or the loss of a teacher due to falling enrolment".

Vital role

Minister Naughton said that schools play a "vital role in the social, economic and cultural life of communities, particularly in rural areas".

"Their sustainability is a key consideration in supporting balanced regional development and vibrant local communities," she said.

"Through this investment, the general average of pupils to teachers in the Primary Staffing Schedule improved from 26:1 five years ago to 23:1 for the current school year; the lowest-ever ratio at primary level."

The minister said the programme for government commitments to make "further progress" in this area.

Teacher retention

In Budget 2021, a three-point reduction in the retention schedule was introduced.

The minister said this helps to "ensure better teacher retention in primary schools, while also ensuring that fewer pupils are required to retain or recruit a teacher".

"In the case of small schools, the schedule provides particularly favourable retention thresholds," she explained.

"These arrangements are designed to support viable class structures and this process contains a mechanism for schools to submit a staffing appeal under certain criteria to an independent Primary Staffing Appeals Board, including a specific measure aimed at small schools."

Actions

The minister added that the decision-making authority for a school closure belongs to the patron of a school.

"Any proposal to close a school must involve consultation with all of the relevant stakeholders, parents, teachers, students and local communities," she added.

"My department attends an interdepartmental group hosted by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht to discuss the action plan ‘Our Rural Future 2026-2028’.

"One of the actions includes the programme for government introducing a new national small schools' project and trialling new administrative supports."

Our Rural Future

The Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht told Agriland recently that the process of developing the new 'Our Rural Future' policy from 2026 is "well advanced".

"An extensive process of consultation was put in place to inform this work which gathered the views of stakeholders and communities across the country," the department said.

"This consultation commenced in March 2025 with an online public survey that received almost 1,300 responses, followed by a series of eight in-person events across the country which were attended by approximately 500 stakeholders and members of the public."

The department said that representatives of the farming community were invited to these events.

"The opportunities and challenges faced by [the] sector and its importance in supporting the economic sustainability of rural areas have featured strongly in our consultations," the department said.

"A paper, setting out the proposed key themes and priorities for the new policy, was published for a period of public consultation in November 2025, with submissions invited until December 12, 2025."

This process yielded 273 written responses, including from farming organisations. 

"Bilateral meetings with key stakeholders, representative groups and public bodies are also taking place," the department added.