Planning area in Limerick

Doon–Cappamore

Schools in County Limerick in this planning area.

This planning area also covers 4 schools in Tipperary. See the whole planning area

Schools
11
of 133 in Limerick
Pupils
1,130
5% of Limerick's pupils
Since 2015/16
−12.3%
1,289 pupils in 2015/16
Average school size
102.7
Limerick: 165.1
Average class size
21.52
Limerick: 21.83

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 Limerick, schools with no planning area had 3.0% of pupils in 2015/16, 9.2% in 2005/06 and 34.5% in 1975/76. Known data issues

Pupils

1,130

−2 on 2024/25

1975/762025/26

Schools

11

10 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average pupils per school

102.7

96.8 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average class size

21.52

+0.79 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. 125 in 2025/26, −1 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

11 schools with figures for both years

7fell by 10% or more
2within 10%
2grew by 10% or more
Down 25% or more · 3Down 10 to 25% · 4Within 10% · 2Up 10 to 25% · 2Up 25% or more · 0

Average class size in these schools went from 25.3 in 2015/16 to 21.5 in 2025/26. 3 of the 7 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
21.52
Mainstream classes
50
Classes of 30 or more
4
Schools with a class of 30+
3

Teachers

Teachers in the 11 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
50
Up 5 since 2006/07, while pupils rose 5%
Teaching posts in 2025/26
about 86
Estimate: 50 class teachers, 4 principals and deputies, 22 special education and 10 special class teachers
Teachers in 2015/16
73
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 Doon–Cappamore, and the special classes in the 11 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
10
In 5 of 11 schools. 5 in 2020/21
Allocated for 2026/27
11
In 6 schools: 1 new class, 1 school with its first
Autism classes
10
100% of special classes

Special classes since 2020/21

In Doon–Cappamore's mainstream schools, from the NCSE's yearly lists

  • 2020/21 5
  • 2021/22 5
  • 2022/23 7
  • 2023/24 8
  • 2024/25 10
  • 2025/26 10
  • 2026/27 11

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

551 households answered the Department of Education and Youth's Primary School Survey for the Doon–Cappamore planning area: 383 with children at its schools and 168 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
551
46% of households asked
Prefer a multi-denominational patron
39% / 38%
Children at school / not yet at school
Prefer teaching through Irish
18% / 27%
Children at school / not yet at school
Prefer single-sex
3% / 4%
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: 39%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 38%

Teaching through Irish

No school here now

  • Pupils in such schools now: 0%
  • Parents: children at school: 18%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 27%

Single-sex

172 pupils (11%) in 2 schools

  • Pupils in such schools now: 11%
  • Parents: children at school: 3%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 4%

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 AilbheBrittas 187 50 of 111 ±11.3 32%10%6% –
Caherline N SCaherconlish 183 30 of 123 ±14.4 50%30%0% –
S N Ma RuaLimerick 142 33 of 109 ±13.8 45%6%6% –
S N na hAilleAn Mhóin Ard 128 44 of 77 ±12 43%11%2% –
Cappawhite N SCappawhite 126 51 of 91 ±11.2 45%20%0% –
Doon Convent N SDoon 116 37 of 91 ±13.1 38%14%8% –
Nicker N SPallasgreen 113 32 of 71 ±14 28%9%0% –
Bilboa N SchoolCappamore 95 35 of 64 ±13.4 37%20%0% –
Annacarty N SAnnacarty 93 24 of 58 ±15.9 25%21%4% –
Rossmore National SchoolCashel 83 20 of 50 ±17.3 30%20%0% –
Scoil ChaitríonaCappamore 82 15 of 52 ±19.5 40%20%0% –
S N Toinn an TairbhCappamore 79 22 of 57 ±16.5 36%14%0% –
Scoil na mBraithreDoon 56 22 of 49 ±16.5 45%18%14% –
Cloverfield N SDromkeen 42 6 of 11 ±27.9 33%17%0% –
Scoil na mBearnanPallasagreen 35 13 of 26 ±20.8 23%31%8% –

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

11 schools, largest first.

Change over

Select a column heading to sort

Roll number
S N AilbheBrittas 07857D 187
+15.4%
+105.5%
7 24.14 33 1
Caherline N SCaherconlish 15226K 183
+2.2%
+103.3%
7 24.43 35 2
S N Ma RuaLimerick 18600A 142
−18.9%
+4.4%
6 23.67 35 1
Doon Convent N SDoon 14625T 116
0.0%
0.0%
5 21.40 27 0
Nicker N SPallasgreen 14231V 113
−15.0%
+13.0%
5 22.60 28 0
Bilboa N SchoolCappamore 15692Q 95
−18.1%
−1.0%
4 23.75 29 0
Scoil ChaitríonaCappamore 20233L 82
+15.5%
– 4 17.75 24 0
S N Toinn an TairbhCappamore 18367U 79
−43.6%
−36.8%
4 19.75 21 0
Scoil na mBraithreDoon 16713D 56
−22.2%
−18.8%
3 18.67 23 0
Cloverfield N SDromkeen 15700M 42
−40.0%
+31.2%
3 14.00 22 0
Scoil na mBearnanPallasagreen 16439J 35
−36.4%
−57.3%
2 15.50 18 0