Planning area in Kildare

Maynooth

Schools in County Kildare in this planning area.

This planning area also covers 1 school in Meath. See the whole planning area

Schools
5
of 101 in Kildare
Pupils
2,263
8% of Kildare's pupils
Since 2015/16
+28.0%
1,768 pupils in 2015/16
Average school size
452.6
Kildare: 287.1
Average class size
24.21
Kildare: 23.56

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 Kildare, schools with no planning area had 1.6% of pupils in 2015/16, 5.5% in 2005/06 and 24.2% in 1975/76. Known data issues

Pupils

2,263

+2 on 2024/25

1975/762025/26

Schools

5

2 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average pupils per school

452.6

334.0 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average class size

24.21

−0.52 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. 271 in 2025/26, −23 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 (2 schools today). 632 pupils in 2025/26, 27.9% of the area's pupils, against 27.1% 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

4 schools with figures for both years

Schools still filling their classes in 2015/16, and schools opened since, are listed separately.

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

Average class size in these schools went from 27.8 in 2015/16 to 24.2 in 2025/26. 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.

Newer schools

1 school still filling its classes in 2015/16 or opened since, with 173 pupils. It isn’t in the figures above.

Class sizes

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

Average class size
24.21
Mainstream classes
92
Classes of 30 or more
4
Schools with a class of 30+
2

Teachers

Teachers in the 5 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
92
Up 48 since 2006/07, while pupils rose 88%
Teaching posts in 2025/26
about 133
Estimate: 92 class teachers, 6 principals and deputies, 29 special education and 6 special class teachers
Teachers in 2015/16
91
The Department's last count of every teacher
Since 2024/25
2 / 0
2 schools gained a class teacher, 0 lost one

Class teachers since 2006/07

One for each mainstream class, every school year

Special schools and special classes

1 special school in Maynooth, and the special classes in its 5 mainstream schools. Special schools aren't counted in the pupils, class sizes or teachers above.

All special schools
Pupils in special schools
42
In 1 school, up from 30 in 2015/16
Special classes in 2025/26
6
In 4 of 5 schools. 3 in 2020/21
Allocated for 2026/27
7
In 5 schools: 1 new class, 1 school with its first
Autism classes
6
100% of special classes

Special classes since 2020/21

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

  • 2020/21 3
  • 2021/22 4
  • 2022/23 5
  • 2023/24 6
  • 2024/25 6
  • 2025/26 6
  • 2026/27 7

2026/27, dashed: allocated for next year.

Special schools in Maynooth
Special school Pupils Since 2015/16 Teaching posts SNAs
Stepping Stones Special SchoolMaynooth · Autism 42 – 8.4 33

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

What parents would prefer

1,046 households answered the Department of Education and Youth's Primary School Survey for the Maynooth planning area: 745 with children at its schools and 301 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. These are the whole area's figures, across county lines: the Department doesn't split areas by county.

Compare with other areas
Households that answered
1,046
49% of households asked
Prefer a multi-denominational patron
56% / 59%
Children at school / not yet at school
Prefer teaching through Irish
27% / 35%
Children at school / not yet at school
Prefer single-sex
15% / 13%
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

588 pupils (24%) in 2 schools

  • Pupils in such schools now: 24%
  • Parents: children at school: 56%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 59%

Teaching through Irish

632 pupils (25%) in 2 schools

  • Pupils in such schools now: 25%
  • Parents: children at school: 27%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 35%

Single-sex

1,216 pupils (49%) in 2 schools

  • Pupils in such schools now: 49%
  • Parents: children at school: 15%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 13%

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
Presentation Girls Primary SchoolMaynooth 621 237 of 502 ±5.3 44%13%30% 68 answered
Maynooth B N SMaynooth 595 236 of 484 ±5.3 46%13%24% 35 answered
Scoil Ui FhiaichMaigh Nuad 459 116 of 299 ±7.5 50%84%3% 58 answered
Maynooth Educate Together National SchoolMaynooth 415 137 of 313 ±7 93%9%1% 41 answered
Scoil Oilibheir NaofaKilcloon 225 63 of 126 ±10.1 29%14%3% –
Gaelscoil RuairíMaigh Nuad 173 64 of 116 ±10.1 89%86%0% 46 answered

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

5 schools, largest first.

Change over

Select a column heading to sort

Roll number
Presentation Girls Primary SchoolMaynooth 00779U 621
+15.0%
+47.2%
26 23.65 28 0
Maynooth B N SMaynooth 17341U 595
+13.3%
+41.7%
24 24.29 27 0
Scoil Ui FhiaichMaigh Nuad 20058T 459
−4.2%
+50.0%
19 24.16 30 2
Maynooth Educate Together National SchoolMaynooth 20292E 415
+85.3%
– 16 25.19 27 0
Gaelscoil RuairíMaigh Nuad 20527F 173 – – 7 23.86 30 2