Planning area in Cork

Coachford

Schools in County Cork in this planning area.

All planning areas in Ireland

Schools
12
of 335 in Cork
Pupils
1,434
2% of Cork's pupils
Since 2015/16
+1.9%
1,407 pupils in 2015/16
Average school size
119.5
Cork: 179.1
Average class size
22.13
Cork: 21.72

Each year counts the schools in this planning area today, plus any that closed from 2023/24. Dotted lines bridge 1983/84 to 1992/93. 1974/75 is left out because that year's source file is missing five counties.

Earlier years are incomplete

The Department's files only record planning areas from 2023/24, so schools that closed or amalgamated before then aren't counted in any area. The further back you go, the more pupils are missing, and an amalgamation can look like a sudden rise. Across County Cork, schools with no planning area had 3.2% of pupils in 2015/16, 8.7% in 2005/06 and 29.9% in 1975/76. Known data issues

Pupils

1,434

+1 on 2024/25

1975/762025/26

Schools

12

12 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average pupils per school

119.5

88.2 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average class size

22.13

+0.37 on 2024/25

2006/072025/26

Pupils in these schools

Junior infants, girls and boys, and Irish-medium schools over time, for the same schools as the trends above.

Junior infants

Pupils starting school each year. Class-by-class figures start in 2020/21. 187 in 2025/26, +16 on 2024/25.

Girls and boys

From 1976/77: earlier files don't split every school's pupils into girls and boys.

Irish-medium schools

No school in this area teaches all subjects through Irish.

Growing and falling since 2015/16

Each school's change in pupils over 10 years, from 2015/16 to 2025/26. A change of 10% or more either way counts as growing or falling.

Every school's change

12 schools with figures for both years

3fell by 10% or more
6within 10%
3grew by 10% or more
Down 25% or more · 2Down 10 to 25% · 1Within 10% · 6Up 10 to 25% · 1Up 25% or more · 2

Average class size in these schools went from 24.4 in 2015/16 to 22.1 in 2025/26. 3 of the 3 schools that fell by 10% or more kept or added classes. A fall in pupils can mean smaller classes rather than fewer children wanting places. Smaller classes

Sort the table below by the change column to see which schools grew or fell most.

Class sizes

Mainstream class groups only. The source does not identify which standard/year group each class group belongs to.

Average class size
22.13
Mainstream classes
61
Classes of 30 or more
9
Schools with a class of 30+
4

Teachers

Teachers in the 12 mainstream primary schools here, 2006/07 to 2025/26. Class teachers are counted every year; all teaching posts where they're known.

How we count teachers
Class teachers in 2025/26
61
Up 14 since 2006/07, while pupils rose 27%
Teaching posts in 2025/26
about 103
Estimate: 61 class teachers, 5 principals and deputies, 23 special education and 14 special class teachers
Teachers in 2015/16
80
The Department's last count of every teacher
Since 2024/25
0 / 1
0 schools gained a class teacher, 1 lost one

Class teachers since 2006/07

One for each mainstream class, every school year

Special schools and special classes

0 special schools in Coachford, and the special classes in the 12 mainstream schools. Special schools aren't counted in the pupils, class sizes or teachers above.

All special schools
Pupils in special schools
0
No special school here
Special classes in 2025/26
14
In 6 of 12 schools. 8 in 2020/21
Allocated for 2026/27
17
In 8 schools: 3 new classes, 2 schools with their first
Autism classes
13
93% of special classes

Special classes since 2020/21

In Coachford's mainstream schools, from the NCSE's yearly lists

  • 2020/21 8
  • 2021/22 9
  • 2022/23 10
  • 2023/24 13
  • 2024/25 14
  • 2025/26 14
  • 2026/27 17

2026/27, dashed: allocated for next year.

Sources: Department of Education enrolment lists; NCSE special class lists and special school allocations (CC BY 4.0).

What parents would prefer

623 households answered the Department of Education and Youth's Primary School Survey for the Coachford planning area: 425 with children at its schools and 198 with children not yet at school. Each said whether they would prefer co-educational or single-sex schooling, a denominational or multi-denominational patron, and teaching through Irish or English.

Compare with other areas
Households that answered
623
50% of households asked
Prefer a multi-denominational patron
45% / 48%
Children at school / not yet at school
Prefer teaching through Irish
21% / 25%
Children at school / not yet at school
Prefer single-sex
1% / 2%
Children at school / not yet at school

Preferences beside what the schools offer now

Share of pupils in schools of each kind in the area, and share of parents who would prefer it

  • Pupils in such schools now
  • Parents: children at school
  • Parents: children not yet at school

Multi-denominational patron

No school here now

  • Pupils in such schools now: 0%
  • Parents: children at school: 45%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 48%

Teaching through Irish

No school here now

  • Pupils in such schools now: 0%
  • Parents: children at school: 21%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 25%

Single-sex

No school here now

  • Pupils in such schools now: 0%
  • Parents: children at school: 1%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 2%

Bars run from 0 to 50%.

Each school's parents

Parents of children at each school. Bold marks the school's set-up now.

Share of parents at each school who would prefer each
S N BhiorainnBerrings 200 45 of 113 ±11.9 51%11%0% –
Coachford N SCoachford 169 32 of 115 ±14 53%12%0% –
Cloughduv N SCrookstown 166 67 of 121 ±9.9 48%13%1% 41 answered
S N Naomh LachtinDonoughmore 162 47 of 94 ±11.7 40%21%0% –
S N Naomh MhuireOvens 149 45 of 96 ±11.9 44%13%0% –
Canovee Mixed N SMacroom 145 24 of 59 ±15.9 46%21%0% –
Dripsey N SDripsey 100 16 of 60 ±19 31%25%6% –
S N Achadh BolgAghabullogue 100 31 of 52 ±14.2 39%16%0% –
S N Cill BonainAherla 97 29 of 59 ±14.6 55%24%0% –
Rusheen NSCoachford 74 31 of 49 ±14.2 35%23%0% –
Rylane N SRylane 54 16 of 34 ±19 38%6%0% –
Ballyvongane Mixed N SCoachford 18 6 of 14 ±27.9 67%33%0% –

Grey margins of error are 15 points or more: so few parents answered that the figures could be well off. “Too few to publish”: the Department held back the school's results, but its parents' answers still count in the area figures. Not yet at school: how many parents of children not yet at school chose the school, shown where 30 or more did. Special schools in the area are counted in the area figures above.

Source: Department of Education and Youth, Primary School Survey results, published 23 June 2026. The area figures count each household once, including parents at schools too small for their own results, so they aren't the school figures added up. About these figures

Schools

12 schools, largest first.

Change over

Select a column heading to sort

Roll number
S N BhiorainnBerrings 04186N 200
−2.9%
+31.6%
8 21.25 26 0
Coachford N SCoachford 14022M 169
+64.1%
+32.0%
6 27.17 34 3
Cloughduv N SCrookstown 13234W 166
+31.7%
+9.2%
6 27.67 35 3
S N Naomh LachtinDonoughmore 17602W 162
+1.2%
+10.2%
7 21.43 26 0
S N Naomh MhuireOvens 18487H 149
−0.7%
+58.5%
6 21.83 28 0
Canovee Mixed N SMacroom 12292I 145
−9.9%
+42.2%
6 23.17 32 2
Dripsey N SDripsey 17245B 100
−9.9%
+13.6%
4 22.00 27 0
S N Achadh BolgAghabullogue 17515E 100
+13.6%
+156.4%
5 20.00 26 0
S N Cill BonainAherla 17338I 97
+2.1%
+259.3%
4 24.25 31 1
Rusheen NSCoachford 12395S 74
−14.9%
+5.7%
4 18.50 22 0
Rylane N SRylane 16335U 54
−29.9%
+5.9%
3 18.00 22 0
Ballyvongane Mixed N SCoachford 04578H 18
−58.1%
−53.8%
2 9.00 9 0