The Education Authority also says there will be a need for 2,000 more special school places by 2030.
BBC News NI Education CorrespondentThat is according to the Education Authority draft area plan for the next five years.
A key factor in its decision-making is the Department of Education's sustainable schools policy, which can influence a decision on whether a school should close or not. Meanwhile, 18 out of 38 rural post-primary schools have fewer than 500 pupils - the minimum number recommended by the Department of Education.Image caption,The EA said the average amount spent on each pupil in primary schools with fewer than 60 pupils was £5,805, compared to £3,533 in primaries with between 105 to 210 children and £3,104 in primaries with more than 500 children.
The EA has to try to decide where in Northern Ireland there are too many schools and where there may need to be more.Concerns have been raised before about the number of small rural schools with relatively few pupils and some have been targeted for closure in recent years. The draft EA plan said "change will be needed" but it does not name individual schools which may be faced with closure or amalgamation.
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