Irish classification and Gaeltacht status
Some subjects through Irish, outside Gaeltacht areas
Schools matching both Irish classification and Gaeltacht status.
- Schools
- 19
- No change on 2024/25
- Pupils in 2025/26
- 4,513
- −69 on 2024/25 · 0.8% of all pupils
- Average school size
- 237.5
- −3.7 on 2024/25
- Average class size
- 21.52
- −0.40 on 2024/25
Trends since 1975/76
History of the 19 schools in this group today. Dotted lines bridge 1983/84 to 1992/93, and 1974/75 is left out because that year's source file is missing five counties.
Pupils
4,513
−69 on 2024/25
Schools
19
4 in 1975/76
Average pupils per school
237.5
272.5 in 1975/76
Average class size
21.52
−0.40 on 2024/25
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.
14 schools with figures for both years
Schools still filling their classes in 2015/16, and schools opened since, are listed separately.
Average class size in these schools went from 24.1 in 2015/16 to 21.4 in 2025/26. 3 of the 3 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.
Newer schools
5 schools still filling their classes in 2015/16 or opened since, with 1,043 pupils between them. They aren’t in the figures above.
- St Christopher's NSDublin 4 · figures start 2019/20 598
- Réalt na Mara National SchoolDunmore East · figures start 2021/22 196
- St. Catherine of SiennaKildare · figures start 2021/22 151
- Ardagh National SchoolBallina · figures start 2023/24 73
- Lacken National SchoolBallina · opened 2018/19 25
Where the pupils are
Top 10 counties by pupils, 2025/26
Class sizes
Mainstream class groups only. The source does not identify which standard/year group each class group belongs to. Figures for 2025/26.
- Average class size
- 21.52
- Mainstream classes
- 201
- Classes of 30 or more
- 5
- Schools with a class of 30+
- 5
Teachers
Teachers in the 19 mainstream primary schools here, 2006/07 to 2025/26. Class teachers are counted every year; all teaching posts where they're known.
- Class teachers in 2025/26
- 201
- Up 170 since 2006/07, while pupils rose 484%
- Teaching posts in 2025/26
- about 336
- Estimate: 201 class teachers, 16 principals and deputies, 87 special education and 32 special class teachers
- Teachers in 2015/16
- 206
- The Department's last count of every teacher
- Since 2024/25
- 5 / 5
- 5 schools gained a class teacher, 5 lost one
Class teachers since 2006/07
One for each mainstream class, every school year
What parents would prefer
1,126 of the 3,091 households with children at the 19 schools here answered the Department of Education and Youth's Primary School Survey, November–December 2025. These are preferences, not applications.
- Prefer a multi-denominational patron
- 42%
- Parents of children at school · Ireland 44%
- Prefer teaching through Irish
- 14%
- Parents of children at school · Ireland 20%
- Prefer single-sex
- 4%
- Parents of children at school · Ireland 5%
- 7 schools where half or more of parents would prefer a multi-denominational patron
- 1 school where a quarter or more would prefer teaching through Irish
Source: Department of Education and Youth, Primary School Survey results, published 23 June 2026. Figures here add up the parents at each school with its own results.
Schools
19 schools, largest first.
Select a column heading to sort
| Roll number | Gaeltacht | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Christopher's NSDublin 4 | 20545H | Dublin | No | 598 |
−0.8%
–– |
– | 24 | 24.67 | 27 | 0 |
| Bunscoil Chriost RiCork | 20388R | Cork | No | 453 |
−2.2%
−7.9%
– |
– | 20 | 21.70 | 30 | 1 |
| St Mary's National SchoolThomastown | 20272V | Kilkenny | No | 398 |
−12.5%
−13.5%
– |
– | 17 | 23.12 | 29 | 0 |
| Watergrasshill N SWatergrasshill | 16271U | Cork | No | 391 |
−3.2%
+20.7%
+103.6%
|
+103.6%
|
17 | 22.29 | 30 | 1 |
| St John's Senior SchoolArklow | 20469R | Wicklow | No | 323 |
−22.9%
−13.9%
– |
– | 14 | 21.79 | 29 | 0 |
| St Coleman's National SchoolStradbally | 20353V | Laois | No | 318 |
+17.8%
+24.7%
– |
– | 13 | 23.54 | 30 | 1 |
| Scoil an Athar TadhgCarraig na bhFear | 19415K | Cork | No | 317 |
−3.6%
−10.2%
+23.8%
|
+23.8%
|
14 | 20.50 | 28 | 0 |
| Naomh Oliver PlunkettLoughmourne | 19469K | Monaghan | No | 255 |
+9.4%
+15.4%
+72.3%
|
+72.3%
|
9 | 25.22 | 34 | 1 |
| Scoil ÍosaBallina | 20275E | Mayo | No | 242 |
+29.4%
+21.0%
– |
– | 13 | 17.62 | 22 | 0 |
| Scoil Naomh CualánThurles | 20451V | Tipperary | No | 198 |
+3.1%
+37.5%
– |
– | 8 | 23.25 | 29 | 0 |
| Réalt na Mara National SchoolDunmore East | 20556M | Waterford | No | 196 | ––– | – | 8 | 24.50 | 28 | 0 |
| St Benedicts and St Marys National SchoolDublin 5 | 20281W | Dublin | No | 165 |
+15.4%
+24.1%
– |
– | 9 | 17.67 | 22 | 0 |
| Edenmore N.S.Emyvale | 20337A | Monaghan | No | 159 |
−4.2%
+25.2%
– |
– | 7 | 22.29 | 35 | 1 |
| St. Catherine of SiennaKildare | 20558Q | Kildare | No | 151 | ––– | – | 8 | 18.12 | 27 | 0 |
| Scoil Mhuire Agus ChormaicKilcormac | 20387P | Offaly | No | 109 |
+1.9%
−0.9%
– |
– | 5 | 19.40 | 24 | 0 |
| Sancta Maria C B SDublin 8 | 17893N | Dublin | No | 103 |
−3.7%
+58.5%
−14.9%
|
−14.9%
|
6 | 16.17 | 21 | 0 |
| Ardagh National SchoolBallina | 20576S | Mayo | No | 73 | ––– | – | 4 | 18.25 | 23 | 0 |
| S N Naomh TreasaCashel | 17660N | Galway | No | 39 |
0.0%
+18.2%
−2.5%
|
−2.5%
|
2 | 19.50 | 21 | 0 |
| Lacken National SchoolBallina | 20512P | Mayo | No | 25 | ––– | – | 3 | 8.33 | 9 | 0 |
No schools match that filter.