The parents of 826,000 children are to be asked to share with the Department of Education their views on the type of primary school they would like their child to attend.
In what will be the largest ever national survey of its kind, the parents or guardians of all children from birth to 12 years of age will be asked what school ethos they would prefer, religious or multi-denominational.
Parents will also be asked for their preference when it comes to single sex or mixed educational provision, as well as whether they would like the language of instruction to be English or Irish.
A total of 493,000 households will be invited to fill out the online questionnaire, which will go live at 12pm today and run until 16 December.
A separate questionnaire will seek the views of teachers and members of school boards of management.
Verification details, such as Eircodes, will be required from parents and guardians who wish to complete the form, while teachers will be given a unique pin code to access the survey.
Read more: Survey offers chance for wider choice on school ethos
The Department of Education said the exercise is the first of its kind and scale ever undertaken here and is designed to give "a comprehensive, nationwide picture of parental preferences".
"The findings will inform future school planning and support more diverse school provision that reflects the values and needs of modern Ireland," the department said.
At a time when just 30% of marriages take place within the Catholic church, the church continues to run around 90% of primary schools.
This means that a growing number of children are excluded when their classmates learn about the Catholic faith or prepare for the sacraments of Communion and Confirmation.
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Catholic school patrons said they were supportive of school reconfiguration, where a community signals the need for it, and wanted to encourage parents to participate in the survey.
Minister for Eduation Helen McEntee said that the survey will give the department a clear indication where parents would like to see a change of patronage.
"If that is the case, the department will work closely with those schools and with those communities to see if they want to make that change and to move that forward. So this is really all about understanding what is the parental choice and the demand out there," she said.
Any changes would not happen until until September 2027.
"We want to be able to engage with communities. If this is something that they want, and if communities don't want to change, then I'm 100% behind supporting that and making sure that those communities are supported."
The schools themselves will have a specific identifier number that they will be able to provide to the staff working in the school and to the boards of management to participate in the survey.
''It's really important that this is a survey for parents, for those who are working in the school community, so that we can get a really clear picture,'' the minister said.
Ms McEntee said the education system "must reflect our society but more importantly, it must respond to what parents want for their children".
"This is the first time parents, guardians, teachers and board members across every primary school community in Ireland will have the opportunity to clearly express what kind of school they wish to see in their area."
'Major step towards expanding parental choice'
The Department of Education and Youth said the survey is "a major step towards expanding parental choice in education".
Attempts by the department to persuade some school communities to change from Catholic to multi-denominational patronage foundered in several parts of the country in recent years, with just a tiny handful deciding to switch.
In north Dublin, one process was plagued by misinformation which included claims that they would no longer be able to celebrate occasions such as Christmas or Easter or use Irish greetings such as 'Dia Dhuit’, if they changed to multi-denominational patronage.
Such claims were comprehensively dismissed by the multi-denominational sector as well as by the Department of Education and Youth.
The survey that opens today has been in the pipeline for a number of years.
Commenting on its planned structure and design two years ago the Secretary General of the Department of Education said lessons had been learned.
"We have learned that we need accessible, succinct, and accurate information for parents," Bernie McNally said.
The Catholic Education Partnership has encouraged all members of school communities to take part in the survey.
Chairperson Marie Griffith said is important that those who wish for either a Catholic education or a multi-denominational education for their children, "make their wishes known so that proper planning for future educational provision can take place".
Survey welcomed
The country’s two main providers of multi-denominational education have welcomed news of the survey.
Educate Together CEO Emer Nowlan said: "Growing numbers of families have been contacting us seeking the choice of an Educate Together school in recent years. This is a fabulous opportunity for those families to have their voices heard and we would urge everyone, whatever their preference is, to engage with the survey."
Ms Nowlan also called on the Government to ensure all parents had access to accurate information and were aware of the survey.
Education and Training Boards Ireland, which represents the ETBs responsible for state Community National Schools pointed to data from the most recent Census which it said "illustrates a mismatch between the religious beliefs of people in Ireland, and the educational options currently on offer".
Urging parents to have their say, ETBI General Secretary Paddy Lavelle said: "This is an important opportunity to inform the future educational landscape across Ireland. It’s a chance to ensure our schools, in the future, reflect the diverse society we now live in."
Director of Schools with the ETBI Dr Séamus Conboy said there there will be a "school-by-school dataset" following the survey of parents on school ethos preferences.
Speaking to RTÉ's Drivetime, Dr Conboy said previous regional surveys "might demonstrate in a town or a city, X percent, 30, 40, 50% of people have an interest in multi-denominational education".
However, he said this time "it'll be school specific".
He said if there is a "clear demonstration of an appetite for change" that will trigger a "consultation process with that school community towards becoming multi-denominational".
"What's important here is that not only will parents of children currently in schools be surveyed, but preschool parents, children of a preschool stage...this is about the future of Irish education," he added.
Additional reporting Dimitri O'Donnell
