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Slight drop in number of Galway pupils in oversized classes

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Slight drop in number of Galway pupils in oversized classes

The number of pupils in Galway being taught in oversized classes has dropped slightly again this year.

Eleven percent of pupils across Galway are in oversized classes - compared to 12 and 13 percent in 2024 and 2023, respectively.

The average primary school class size is 21.9 - lower than the national average, which is itself at its lowest level in more than 25 years.

Figures from the Department of Education show the average class size is now 22.2 pupils, down from 22.5 in the 2023/2024 school year, as a result of almost 18 thousand fewer children in first level education.

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It's resulted in almost eight thousand fewer students being taught in overcrowded classes last year.

The figures in the Irish Independent show just 8.2 per cent of primary school pupils were in a class of 30 or more, compared to 9.5 per cent the previous year.

The biggest classes are in Kildare, where there's a 23.8 pupil average, while Longford has the smallest average classes at 20.5 children.

Only one school in the country had a class with over 40 pupils, in north Cork, while 790 schools had at least one oversized class, down from 858.

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