A Tipperary boarding school that has only educated boys for the past 120 years will become co-educational next year.
Cistercian College in Roscrea said the move to co-education reflects the school's dedication to inclusivity and the evolving educational landscape.
Calling the development the beginning of "a historic new chapter for the school" the college said the initial phase will introduce day boarding for both boys and girls.
It said plans are in place to expand full boarding facilities for all students in the coming years.
The fee-charging school currently caters to over 260 day and boarding junior and senior cycle boys.
It is the latest in a number of schools to transition from single-sex to co-educational.
Last year, five secondary schools and five primary schools switched from single-sex to co-educational.
Most teenagers in Ireland are now being educated in co-educational settings - just over 292,000 compared to almost 56,000 boys and 68,500 girls who attend single-sex schools.
In some traditional Catholic single-sex schools, falling enrolments have encouraged the move, as parents seek out mixed schools for their children in preference to single-sex schools.
Some of the schools that have made the switch in recent years have experienced significant growth in enrolment following the change.
The Department of Education and schools say the trend towards co-ed is being driven by parental demand.
They say parents like their sons and daughters to be able to attend the same primary or secondary school. They also want a broad range of subjects to be available to their children.
Studies also show social benefits from mixed schooling. A UCD School of Education study published last year found that children who attend co-educational schools have more friends.
