Before the formation of the Dept. of Education in 1835 or 1836 schooling was almost non-existent except for a number of what one called hedge schools.

 

The Church of Ireland had one in Ballyhogue and one in Ballybuckley beside Clonmore Church (in Ned Long’s house).

 

Mrs. Foley kept a hedge school in Borrmount for small children and one in Ballyhogue in a house owned by the Murphy family of The Racecourse.

 

Bree’s first school started in the old church down Bree Lane. It was a two roomed school with a partition in the middle. The first teacher was James Kirwan.

 

In 1953, a new school was built in Bree. Jonathon Moriarty was the principal at the time and there were 120 children and 3 teachers.

 

In 1991, due to the increase in the school population to 180 pupils, a new extension was added to the school, comprised of four classrooms. When added to the two existing classrooms (the third existing classroom was converted into a staffroom), the school now had six classrooms in total.

 

In 2014, four more classrooms were added as part of a new extension.

 

In 2016, another classroom and a new principal’s office were built