Kildare has highest average classroom size in Ireland

News that Kildare has the highest average class size in Ireland has been slammed by Kildare North TD Aidan Farrelly.

The figures were contained in information published by the Department of Education.

“Although the figures say that primary school class nationally sizes dropped to 22.2 pupils in 2024/25 from 22.5 the previous year, Kildare children are being crammed into classrooms of 30 or more,” Deputy Farrelly said.

“Like everything else in Kildare, our schools are under constant pressure from a rapidly growing population - and teachers, parents and children are bearing the brunt of the failure of successive governments over several decades to grasp this reality.”

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Deputy Farrelly’s party, the Social Democrats, says that the small reduction in class sizes nationally do not reflect the reality faced by many schools.

“While the government points to national averages, these statistics do not tell the full story. The decrease is due to falling enrolments in some counties across the country, rather than any meaningful improvement in staffing or resourcing - and mask the reality faced by schools on the ground,” he said.

“Presenting this modest statistical decrease as a win for the government is misleading. The fact is that many classes are still overcrowded, with more than 30 pupils, and almost 1,850 teaching posts remain unfilled.

“Parents will not be reassured by these average figures when the reality in classrooms is so different, with some schools having to fundraise just to keep teachers in place. This is not progress – it is a crisis.

“We recently pressed the Minister for Education on the real costs of meeting the government’s 19:1 pupil-teacher ratio target and she confirmed that reducing the ratio by a single point would require over 400 additional teaching posts and up to €35 million in capital investment.

“Needless to say that has not yet been provided. Parents and teachers are doing the heavy lifting while the government sits on the sidelines. This is unacceptable, and it shows that the system is failing children.

Deputy Farrelly said that unless there is urgent investment in recruiting teachers and improving school infrastructure, the recent statistical improvements in average class size will remain “meaningless”, and overcrowded schools will continue to struggle.

“Average class sizes going down should not be spun as a success story by the government. What matters is the reality in every classroom”, he concluded.