Dublin, 1 October 2025 — A new pilot online application system for post-primary school admissions has gone live today, marking a significant step toward streamlining the enrolment process for families. The platform, applytoschool.ie, will operate until 22 October and is being trialled in five areas: Athenry, Celbridge, Clonakilty, Greystones, and Tullamore/Killina.
The initiative, introduced by the Department of Education and Youth, allows parents and guardians to apply for first-year places — including special class placements — through a single online form. The pilot involves 15 schools across the selected towns.
Minister for Education and Youth, Helen McEntee TD, welcomed the launch, describing it as “a major step toward delivering a nationwide common application system that will simplify the admissions process for families and schools alike.” She emphasised that the move from primary to post-primary can be stressful for families, and the pilot aims to ease that burden while improving transparency.
A key feature of the system is its ability to reduce duplicate enrolments. Once a parent accepts a place in the first round of offers, other schools where the child has been accepted will be notified, allowing those places to be reallocated more quickly in the second round. Round one offers will be issued on 12 November, with round two following on 4 December.
Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion, Michael Moynihan TD, said the pilot would provide “peace of mind to parents, especially those seeking a special educational placement,” and thanked schools and management bodies for their cooperation.
The Department of Education highlighted that the pilot responds to growing pressures in school admissions, including demographic changes, rising demand for special class places, and administrative challenges caused by duplicate applications. Insights from the trial will inform the development of a nationwide system in line with the Programme for Government.
While welcomed as a step forward, some parents have expressed concern that the pilot does not yet allow them to rank schools in order of preference — a feature available in other coordinated admissions systems. Nonetheless, officials say the trial will provide valuable lessons for future expansion.
