Over 39,000 primary school students, or 7.5 per cent of pupils, were in classes of 30 or more in the past school year, according to the latest figures from the Department of Education. The number has fallen slightly since last year, down from 43,464 or 8.2 per cent of pupils in the 2024-2025 academic year but remains at 39,042 students in 1,251 classes. This represents a decrease of 4,422 or 0.7 per cent of pupils in classes of more than 30 and refers to mainstream classes. It does not include special classes. The annual list of primary school class sizes, released in a parliamentary reply to Fianna Fáil Wicklow-Wexford TD Malcolm Byrne, shows that of 520,482 primary school pupils, 36,805 were in classes of 30 to 34, while 2,237 were in classes of between 35 and 39 students.The two largest class sizes, at 38, were recorded at St Peter and Paul boys’ school in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, and Fahy National School, Westport, Co Mayo.Some 56 schools had classes with 35 or more pupils in the 2025 to 2026 academic year. Byrne said there is some improvement in the numbers. “But it’s still unacceptable that there are over 39,000 children in class sizes of 30 or more.” “When you’re getting into some of those really large classes that becomes more crowd management than education.”Three schools had up to three classes with more than 35 students – Tarmon National School, Castlerea, Co Roscommon; Cnoc an Mharcaigh, Melview, Co Longford; and Scoil Naomh Mhaodhagh, Dundalk, Co Louth.Principal of St Peter and Paul’s CBS in Clonmel Orla Tobin who has a class with 38 pupils, said the class will separate into two groups in September. “The teacher ratio stayed the same but two large classes have moved on to secondary which results in having a teacher available to cover the two classes now. That may not be the case the following year, however, as it is always a balancing act”. She said teaching classes of under 20 is “the dream” for most teachers with more time for individual attention. Smaller class sizes “is the issue that I would see as the greatest benefit to Irish students and their education”.Byrne called for “more dynamism in the system” particularly in areas of high population growth where large numbers of pupils start during a school year. Additional resources including teaching staff should be allocated, instead of schools having to wait until the following school year. The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (Into) general secretary John Boyle said “teachers are still being allocated to classroom groups of 23 pupils whereas the EU average class size is 19, causing a shocking 79 per cent of our children to be crowded out in classes above EU norms”.In eastern Belgium, two teachers are provided for each mainstream class, while Croatia and Latvia have 15 primary pupils to a class, he said.Boyle said Budget 2026 “led to the removal of 498 classroom teachers this summer”. Primary school pupil enrolment fell by 10,438 in that time teaching posts could have been retained which would “automatically reduce school class sizes at no extra exchequer cost”.But he said successive governments “shamefully allowed mainstream class posts to be suppressed, consequently depriving Ireland’s children of vital teaching supports”.The programme for Government commits to reaching the 19:1 EU average ratio over the Coalition’s five-year term.A Department of Education spokesperson said the pupil teacher ratio had dropped from 28:1 in 2015 to 23:1 currently.“This is the lowest allocation ratio level ever seen,” the spokesperson said in a statement.The “key factor” for staffing resources at individual school level “is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September”.“The staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally,” the department said.