Planning area in Cork

Gurranbraher–CorkCity

Schools in County Cork in this planning area.

All planning areas in Ireland

Schools
10
of 335 in Cork
Pupils
2,671
4% of Cork's pupils
Since 2015/16
−9.2%
2,943 pupils in 2015/16
Average school size
267.1
Cork: 179.1
Average class size
17.22
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

2,671

−28 on 2024/25

1975/762025/26

Schools

10

4 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average pupils per school

267.1

550.2 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average class size

17.22

+0.05 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. 299 in 2025/26, −13 on 2024/25.

Girls and boys

From 1977/78: earlier files don't split every school's pupils into girls and boys.

Irish-medium schools

Pupils in schools that teach all subjects through Irish (1 school today). 280 pupils in 2025/26, 10.5% of the area's pupils, against 5.8% in 2015/16. Each school counts under its current classification for every year.

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

10 schools with figures for both years

5fell by 10% or more
1within 10%
4grew by 10% or more
Down 25% or more · 4Down 10 to 25% · 1Within 10% · 1Up 10 to 25% · 1Up 25% or more · 3

Average class size in these schools went from 19.6 in 2015/16 to 17.2 in 2025/26. 1 of the 5 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
17.22
Mainstream classes
146
Classes of 30 or more
0
Schools with a class of 30+
0

Teachers

Teachers in the 10 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
146
Down 13 since 2006/07, while pupils fell 20%
Teaching posts in 2025/26
about 262
Estimate: 146 class teachers, 11 principals and deputies, 78 special education and 27 special class teachers
Teachers in 2015/16
238
The Department's last count of every teacher
Since 2024/25
1 / 4
1 school gained a class teacher, 4 lost one

Class teachers since 2006/07

One for each mainstream class, every school year

Special schools and special classes

0 special schools in Gurranbraher–CorkCity, and the special classes in the 10 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
27
In 9 of 10 schools. 13 in 2020/21
Allocated for 2026/27
30
In 9 schools: 3 new classes
Autism classes
25
93% of special classes

Special classes since 2020/21

In Gurranbraher–CorkCity's mainstream schools, from the NCSE's yearly lists

  • 2020/21 13
  • 2021/22 18
  • 2022/23 20
  • 2023/24 22
  • 2024/25 24
  • 2025/26 27
  • 2026/27 30

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

810 households answered the Department of Education and Youth's Primary School Survey for the Gurranbraher–CorkCity planning area: 547 with children at its schools and 263 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
810
28% of households asked
Prefer a multi-denominational patron
37% / 43%
Children at school / not yet at school
Prefer teaching through Irish
19% / 31%
Children at school / not yet at school
Prefer single-sex
10% / 15%
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: 37%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 43%

Teaching through Irish

280 pupils (11%) in 1 school

  • Pupils in such schools now: 11%
  • Parents: children at school: 19%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 31%

Single-sex

454 pupils (17%) in 2 schools

  • Pupils in such schools now: 17%
  • Parents: children at school: 10%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 15%

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
Scoil OilibheirCork 511 103 of 368 ±8 33%10%3% 50 answered
North Presentation Primary SchoolCork 288 25 of 217 ±15.6 56%4%16% –
Gaelscoil Peig SayersCorcaigh 280 60 of 211 ±10.4 35%75%0% 36 answered
Scoil ColmcilleCork 264 41 of 210 ±12.4 49%15%10% –
Scoil Padre Pio N SCork 264 51 of 210 ±11.2 27%12%4% –
Scoil Aiseiri ChriostCork 232 49 of 186 ±11.4 29%18%47% –
Scoil IosagainCork 222 41 of 192 ±12.4 29%10%34% –
St Vincents Convent N SCork 208 40 of 168 ±12.6 22%10%10% –
Scoil Mhuire Fatima Boys SeniorCork 207 46 of 163 ±11.8 46%11%2% –
Scoil Mhuire ar Chnoc hAoineCork 195 34 of 142 ±13.6 18%3%3% –

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

10 schools, largest first.

Change over

Select a column heading to sort

Roll number
Scoil OilibheirCork 19730S 511
−18.4%
−35.4%
24 20.79 25 0
North Presentation Primary SchoolCork 20036J 288
+26.9%
+32.7%
15 19.20 25 0
Gaelscoil Peig SayersCorcaigh 19909M 280
+62.8%
+204.3%
15 18.13 28 0
Scoil ColmcilleCork 16680O 264
+23.9%
+116.4%
14 18.00 28 0
Scoil Padre Pio N SCork 18217B 264
+4.8%
+34.7%
15 15.60 23 0
Scoil Aiseiri ChriostCork 20038N 232
−35.0%
−43.3%
14 15.86 23 0
Scoil IosagainCork 18786R 222
−39.8%
−52.4%
15 13.60 19 0
St Vincents Convent N SCork 13696O 208
−27.8%
−51.2%
13 14.62 22 0
Scoil Mhuire Fatima Boys SeniorCork 20140E 207
+29.4%
−19.5%
10 18.50 27 0
Scoil Mhuire ar Chnoc hAoineCork 19714U 195
−30.1%
−50.4%
11 15.27 24 0