Planning area in Galway

Spiddal–Inverin

Schools in County Galway in this planning area.

All planning areas in Ireland

Schools
6
of 217 in Galway
Pupils
990
3% of Galway's pupils
Since 2015/16
−6.9%
1,063 pupils in 2015/16
Average school size
165.0
Galway: 135.5
Average class size
23.50
Galway: 21.46

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 Galway, schools with no planning area had 4.9% of pupils in 2015/16, 9.0% in 2005/06 and 34.0% in 1975/76. Known data issues

Pupils

990

−22 on 2024/25

1975/762025/26

Schools

6

4 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average pupils per school

165.0

76.0 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average class size

23.50

−0.03 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. 106 in 2025/26, −19 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

Pupils in schools that teach all subjects through Irish (3 schools today). 445 pupils in 2025/26, 44.9% of the area's pupils, against 47.2% 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

6 schools with figures for both years

4fell by 10% or more
2within 10%
0grew by 10% or more
Down 25% or more · 1Down 10 to 25% · 3Within 10% · 2Up 10 to 25% · 0Up 25% or more · 0

Average class size in these schools went from 26.6 in 2015/16 to 23.5 in 2025/26. 2 of the 4 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
23.50
Mainstream classes
42
Classes of 30 or more
4
Schools with a class of 30+
3

Teachers

Teachers in the 6 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
42
Up 4 since 2006/07, while pupils rose 8%
Teaching posts in 2025/26
about 65
Estimate: 42 class teachers, 3 principals and deputies, 19 special education and 1 special class teachers
Teachers in 2015/16
58
The Department's last count of every teacher
Since 2024/25
1 / 2
1 school gained a class teacher, 2 lost one

Class teachers since 2006/07

One for each mainstream class, every school year

Special schools and special classes

0 special schools in Spiddal–Inverin, and the special classes in the 6 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
1
In 1 of 6 schools
Allocated for 2026/27
1
In 1 school
Autism classes
1
100% of special classes

Special classes since 2025/26

In Spiddal–Inverin's mainstream schools, from the NCSE's yearly lists

  • 2025/26 1
  • 2026/27 1

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

539 households answered the Department of Education and Youth's Primary School Survey for the Spiddal–Inverin planning area: 342 with children at its schools and 197 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
539
61% of households asked
Prefer a multi-denominational patron
50% / 51%
Children at school / not yet at school
Prefer teaching through Irish
51% / 62%
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: 50%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 51%

Teaching through Irish

445 pupils (45%) in 3 schools

  • Pupils in such schools now: 45%
  • Parents: children at school: 51%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 62%

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 100%.

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 MhuireMaigh Cuilinn 396 145 of 249 ±6.8 52%23%0% 48 answered
SN SailearnaIndreabhán 212 54 of 107 ±10.9 41%98%0% –
Scoil EinneAn Spidéal 171 45 of 88 ±11.9 42%91%2% –
SN TuairiniMaigh Cuilinn 84 25 of 55 ±15.6 68%56%4% –
SN Tullach Ui ChadhainMaigh Cuilinn 65 16 of 45 ±19 50%19%0% –
S N Baile NuaMaigh Cuilinn 62 21 of 42 ±16.9 33%95%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

6 schools, largest first.

Change over

Select a column heading to sort

Roll number
Scoil MhuireMaigh Cuilinn 19529C 396
+4.2%
+13.8%
16 24.75 30 1
SN SailearnaIndreabhán 12706J 212
+9.3%
+9.8%
9 23.22 30 2
Scoil EinneAn Spidéal 20115F 171
−21.2%
+15.5%
7 24.43 30 1
SN TuairiniMaigh Cuilinn 13415D 84
−22.2%
−1.2%
4 21.00 25 0
SN Tullach Ui ChadhainMaigh Cuilinn 08446K 65
−11.0%
−3.0%
3 21.67 29 0
S N Baile NuaMaigh Cuilinn 15331H 62
−31.9%
−21.5%
3 20.67 23 0