New Department of Education figures highlight the increasing class division in Irish schools as enrolment in the State sector takes a hit.

The enrolment figures for Dublin schools over the past 20 years underline the changing - and increasingly divisive - nature of education in the city.

In 1985, the traditional model was very much still in place. Broadly, students went to their local schools or travelled from outlying areas into the prestigious religious-run Christian Brothers' schools in the city, the likes of O'Connells in the north-inner city or "Joey's" in Fairview.

These schools were the education powerhouses of the age, with a glittering bunch of alumni, who included former taoisigh and a raft of senior civil servants. To this day, most of those aged 45-plus who are senior figures in the public service or captains of industry completed their schooling in these non-fee-paying schools.

But it is clear from these figures that dramatic change is underway.

Part of this is demographic - fewer parents with school-going children live close to the city centre - but it is also clear that a growing army of better-off parents are opting out of free second-level education, choosing fee-paying schools and grind schools instead.

Enrolment figures may be down from 62,664 to 52,104 in 20 years, but it is State schools that are taking a hit. Enrolment figures in virtually all the fee-paying schools have surged, even as the school-going population has declined.

Two factors help to explain the change. One is the economic boom since the early 1990s, the other, the decision to abolish third-level college fees in 1994. After this, a great many parents suddenly found that they too could afford private education for their children - if they wanted it.

Many of the parents who are now sending their children to fee-paying schools have no personal or family background in the prestigious fee-paying schools of south Dublin.

Said one school principal: "These are people who want the best for their kids. They perceive, rightly or wrongly, that the fee-paying school is best. These days, even five grand a year in fees is no big deal for many parents."

Why are parents drawn to fee-paying? One principal of a fee-paying school says: "Yes, parents like the cachet of sending Johnny to Blackrock or Belvedere rather than the local school. But there are other factors at work. Many parents have told me that they think disciplinary standards are higher in fee-paying schools. They also believe that academic standards are higher, that Johnny or Mary is more likely to achieve his or her academic potential in a fee-paying school."

There is, of course, little solid evidence to support this view. But one inner-city teacher says it would be surprising if Leaving Cert results were not better in some fee-paying schools. "We all know what is going on. Many of the fee-paying schools cherry-pick many of the best and the brightest from local primary schools. And then people wonder why those schools get more kids to college," he said.

It is clear that some schools in the State sector are facing a crisis. The enrolment crisis is particularly acute for State schools in south Dublin. Here there is a large number of venerable fee-paying schools such as St Andrew's College in Booterstown, Blackrock College and Mount Anville.

One deputy principal at a well-established State-run school says: "We have outstanding teachers and a great reputation, but we are going to every primary school in the area trying to drum up numbers. We are talking about the long-term viability of our school. The fee-paying schools, by comparison, are packed. It is virtually impossible to get into some of them."

The drift towards fee-paying schools has also seen the rise and rise of grind schools. At one time, the market leader in this field - the Institute of Education in Leeson Street - concentrated on part-time and evening courses. This year, more than 800 full-time students paying over €5,000 per year will sit the Leaving Cert there. Many of these have opted out of the State sector.

The irony is that many State schools now enjoy much better pupil-teacher ratios than their counterparts in the fee-paying and grind school sectors. But they continue to operate way below capacity.

About 25,000 places in the free second-level sector in Dublin are unfilled, according to the most up-to-date estimates. Hundreds of places are available in some of the best-known and highly-regarded schools in Dublin including Sion Hill in Blackrock (where Minister for Education Mary Hanafin was a teacher in the 1980s), Synge Street, Oatlands College, Stillorgan and St Benildus.

How can the Government respond to this enrolment crisis? The abolition of €80 million in State support for fee-paying schools is one remedy. About €70 million of this is spent on paying teachers' salaries in private schools.

The former Minister for Education Noel Dempsey signalled his unease with this level of support, which is an effective subsidy for the fee-paying sector. Without it, fee-paying schools in the Republic would be forced - like their counterparts overseas - to charge fees of more than €15,000 per year to cover the full economic cost of private education.

Hanafin says she has no plans to change the manner in which fee-paying schools are funded.

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