National school (Ireland)

In the Republic of Ireland, a national school (Irish: scoil náisiúnta) is a type of primary school that is financed directly by the state, but typically administered jointly by the state, a patron body, and local representatives. In national schools, most major policies, such as the curriculum and teacher salaries and conditions, are managed by the state through the Department of Education. Minor policies of the school are managed by local people, sometimes directed by a member of the clergy, as representative of the patron, through a local 'board of management'.^[1] Most primary schools in the Republic of Ireland fall into this category, which is a pre-independence concept.

While there are other forms of primary school in the Republic of Ireland, including a relatively small number of private denominational schools which do not receive state aid,^[2] there were just 34 such private primary schools in 2012, with a combined enrollment of 7,600 pupils.^[3] By comparison there were, as of 2019, over 3,200 national schools in Ireland with a combined enrollment of 567,000 pupils.^[4][5] In Northern Ireland, the equivalent to a national school is a primary school.