Planning area in Kerry

Listowel

Schools in County Kerry in this planning area.

All planning areas in Ireland

Schools
10
of 130 in Kerry
Pupils
1,222
8% of Kerry's pupils
Since 2015/16
−9.2%
1,346 pupils in 2015/16
Average school size
122.2
Kerry: 119.8
Average class size
22.13
Kerry: 21.25

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 Kerry, schools with no planning area had 0.1% of pupils in 2015/16, 7.7% in 2005/06 and 27.3% in 1975/76. Known data issues

Pupils

1,222

−40 on 2024/25

1975/762025/26

Schools

10

7 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average pupils per school

122.2

149.6 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average class size

22.13

−1.15 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. 139 in 2025/26, −17 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 (1 school today). 136 pupils in 2025/26, 11.1% of the area's pupils, against 6.2% 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

10 schools with figures for both years

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

Average class size in these schools went from 25.8 in 2015/16 to 22.1 in 2025/26. 1 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
22.13
Mainstream classes
54
Classes of 30 or more
4
Schools with a class of 30+
3

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
54
Up 2 since 2006/07, while pupils fell 1%
Teaching posts in 2025/26
about 92
Estimate: 54 class teachers, 5 principals and deputies, 28 special education and 5 special class teachers
Teachers in 2015/16
78
The Department's last count of every teacher
Since 2024/25
2 / 1
2 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

1 special school in Listowel, and the special classes in its 10 mainstream schools. Special schools aren't counted in the pupils, class sizes or teachers above.

All special schools
Pupils in special schools
96
In 1 school, up from 72 in 2015/16
Special classes in 2025/26
5
In 3 of 10 schools. 2 in 2020/21
Allocated for 2026/27
8
In 6 schools: 3 new classes, 3 schools with their first
Autism classes
4
80% of special classes

Special classes since 2020/21

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

  • 2020/21 2
  • 2021/22 4
  • 2022/23 4
  • 2023/24 4
  • 2024/25 5
  • 2025/26 5
  • 2026/27 8

2026/27, dashed: allocated for next year.

Special schools in Listowel
Special school Pupils Since 2015/16 Teaching posts SNAs
Nano Nagle N SchoolListowel · Moderate general learning disability 96
+33.3%
17 46

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

What parents would prefer

423 households answered the Department of Education and Youth's Primary School Survey for the Listowel planning area: 312 with children at its schools and 111 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
423
42% of households asked
Prefer a multi-denominational patron
38% / 41%
Children at school / not yet at school
Prefer teaching through Irish
17% / 19%
Children at school / not yet at school
Prefer single-sex
13% / 6%
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

28 pupils (2%) in 1 school

  • Pupils in such schools now: 2%
  • Parents: children at school: 38%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 41%

Teaching through Irish

136 pupils (11%) in 1 school

  • Pupils in such schools now: 11%
  • Parents: children at school: 17%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 19%

Single-sex

352 pupils (29%) in 2 schools

  • Pupils in such schools now: 29%
  • Parents: children at school: 13%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 6%

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
Dromclough N SListowel 192 77 of 127 ±9.2 36%14%1% –
Listowel Presentation PrimaryListowel 186 49 of 151 ±11.4 39%6%47% –
Realt na MaidneListowel 166 67 of 150 ±9.9 46%6%39% –
S N Naomh BridListowel 166 55 of 125 ±10.8 27%11%2% –
Gaelscoil Lios TuathailLios Tuathail 136 34 of 99 ±13.6 41%79%0% –
S N Cill CruinnListowel 97 19 of 60 ±17.7 47%5%0% –
Scoil Chorp ChríostMoyvane 91 16 of 46 ±19 38%19%0% –
Coolard MXD N SListowel 82 21 of 63 ±16.9 43%19%5% –
Murhur N SMoyvane 78 29 of 54 ±14.6 28%3%0% –
Lyre A Crompane N SLyracrompane 28 10 of 21 ±23.1 90%0%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

10 schools, largest first.

Change over

Select a column heading to sort

Roll number
Dromclough N SListowel 19957A 192
−22.0%
−4.5%
8 24.00 36 1
Listowel Presentation PrimaryListowel 04062S 186
−25.9%
−29.0%
8 23.25 31 2
Realt na MaidneListowel 19846O 166
−5.1%
−8.3%
7 21.57 28 0
S N Naomh BridListowel 11067T 166
−18.6%
−1.2%
7 22.86 29 0
Gaelscoil Lios TuathailLios Tuathail 20013U 136
+61.9%
+76.6%
6 22.67 30 1
S N Cill CruinnListowel 17072T 97
+7.8%
+11.5%
4 22.75 27 0
Scoil Chorp ChríostMoyvane 10775S 91
+23.0%
+139.5%
4 22.75 27 0
Coolard MXD N SListowel 12587E 82
−36.9%
−29.9%
4 20.50 25 0
Murhur N SMoyvane 13540G 78
+5.4%
+2.6%
4 19.50 29 0
Lyre A Crompane N SLyracrompane 14998M 28
+55.6%
+33.3%
2 14.00 15 0