Planning area in Waterford

Lismore

Schools in County Waterford in this planning area.

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

Schools
11
of 73 in Waterford
Pupils
1,168
9% of Waterford's pupils
Since 2015/16
−8.7%
1,279 pupils in 2015/16
Average school size
106.2
Waterford: 186.0
Average class size
21.32
Waterford: 21.63

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 Waterford, schools with no planning area had 1.5% of pupils in 2015/16, 2.0% in 2005/06 and 45.6% in 1975/76. Known data issues

Pupils

1,168

−12 on 2024/25

1976/772025/26

Schools

11

8 in 1976/77

1976/772025/26

Average pupils per school

106.2

95.1 in 1976/77

1976/772025/26

Average class size

21.32

−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. 137 in 2025/26, +12 on 2024/25.

Girls and boys

Each school year.

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

5fell by 10% or more
5within 10%
1grew by 10% or more
Down 25% or more · 3Down 10 to 25% · 2Within 10% · 5Up 10 to 25% · 0Up 25% or more · 1

Average class size in these schools went from 25.5 in 2015/16 to 21.3 in 2025/26. 4 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
21.32
Mainstream classes
53
Classes of 30 or more
1
Schools with a class of 30+
1

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
53
Up 4 since 2006/07, while pupils fell 3%
Teaching posts in 2025/26
about 85
Estimate: 53 class teachers, 4 principals and deputies, 21 special education and 7 special class teachers
Teachers in 2015/16
70
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 Lismore, 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
7
In 4 of 11 schools. 2 in 2020/21
Allocated for 2026/27
8
In 4 schools: 1 new class
Autism classes
7
100% of special classes

Special classes since 2020/21

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

  • 2020/21 2
  • 2021/22 2
  • 2022/23 3
  • 2023/24 4
  • 2024/25 5
  • 2025/26 7
  • 2026/27 8

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

432 households answered the Department of Education and Youth's Primary School Survey for the Lismore planning area: 287 with children at its schools and 145 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
432
47% of households asked
Prefer a multi-denominational patron
47% / 46%
Children at school / not yet at school
Prefer teaching through Irish
20% / 24%
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: 47%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 46%

Teaching through Irish

No school here now

  • Pupils in such schools now: 0%
  • Parents: children at school: 20%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 24%

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 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
Bunscoil Bhothar na NaomhLismore 284 75 of 183 ±9.3 48%16%1% –
Bunscoil Gleann SidheainCappoquin 189 42 of 119 ±12.3 40%19%0% –
Scoil MhuireTallow 150 56 of 107 ±10.7 34%14%4% –
Ballyduff B 2 N SBallyduff 108 5 of 19 ±29.6 60%0%0% –
Knockanore N STallow 105 33 of 59 ±13.8 58%21%0% –
Whitechurch N S CeapachDungarvan 104 36 of 68 ±13.2 53%25%0% –
Aglish N SCappoquin 82 21 of 53 ±16.9 62%14%0% –
St. Marys NS TouraneenaClonmel 55 9 of 21 ±24 44%11%0% –
S N Muire Magh DeilgeDungarvan 51 9 of 34 ±24 22%56%0% –
Curriglass NSConna 34 6 of 22 ±27.9 50%50%0% –
S N Lios Mor MochudaLismore 23 Too few to publish – ––– –
Villierstown N SCappoquin 17 7 of 13 ±26.4 43%14%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

11 schools, largest first.

Change over

Select a column heading to sort

Roll number
Bunscoil Bhothar na NaomhLismore 20076V 284
−1.4%
+2.5%
12 23.17 29 0
Bunscoil Gleann SidheainCappoquin 20157V 189
−4.5%
−3.1%
8 22.12 26 0
Scoil MhuireTallow 19616U 150
+0.7%
+15.4%
6 23.00 28 0
Ballyduff B 2 N SBallyduff 15540Q 108
−22.3%
−11.5%
5 21.60 25 0
Knockanore N STallow 17522B 105
+40.0%
+14.1%
4 26.25 31 1
Whitechurch N S CeapachDungarvan 18108T 104
+3.0%
−2.8%
4 24.00 27 0
Aglish N SCappoquin 01395H 82
−24.1%
+82.2%
4 20.50 23 0
St. Marys NS TouraneenaClonmel 18779U 55
−5.2%
−6.8%
3 18.33 22 0
S N Muire Magh DeilgeDungarvan 18321T 51
−37.8%
−5.6%
3 17.00 22 0
S N Lios Mor MochudaLismore 14164J 23
−36.1%
−37.8%
2 11.50 12 0
Villierstown N SCappoquin 07737Q 17
−62.2%
−29.2%
2 8.50 10 0