School planning area

Dolphin's Barn–D12

17 primary schools and 3,594 pupils in 2025/26, in County Dublin.

Pupils in 2025/26
3,594
−63 on 2024/25
Since 2015/16
+5.2%
3,416 pupils in 2015/16
Schools
17
No change on 2024/25
Average class size
19.57
Average school size: 211.4

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 Dublin, schools with no planning area had 1.5% of pupils in 2015/16, 5.3% in 2005/06 and 36.8% in 1975/76. Known data issues

Pupils

3,594

−63 on 2024/25

1975/762025/26

Schools

17

8 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average pupils per school

211.4

496.2 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average class size

19.57

−0.31 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. 433 in 2025/26, −4 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

15 schools with figures for both years

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

8fell by 10% or more
5within 10%
2grew by 10% or more
Down 25% or more · 2Down 10 to 25% · 6Within 10% · 5Up 10 to 25% · 0Up 25% or more · 2

Average class size in these schools went from 23.3 in 2015/16 to 19.5 in 2025/26. 4 of the 8 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

2 schools still filling their classes in 2015/16 or opened since, with 598 pupils between them. They aren’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
19.57
Mainstream classes
176
Classes of 30 or more
5
Schools with a class of 30+
3

Teachers

Teachers in the 17 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
176
Up 70 since 2006/07, while pupils rose 46%
Teaching posts in 2025/26
about 303
Estimate: 176 class teachers, 15 principals and deputies, 84 special education and 28 special class teachers
Teachers in 2015/16
232
The Department's last count of every teacher
Since 2024/25
2 / 3
2 schools gained a class teacher, 3 lost one

Class teachers since 2006/07

One for each mainstream class, every school year

Special schools and special classes

3 special schools in the Dolphin's Barn–D12 planning area, and the special classes in its 17 mainstream schools. Special schools aren't counted in the pupils, class sizes or teachers above.

All special schools
Pupils in special schools
285
In 3 schools, up from 185 in 2015/16
Special classes in 2025/26
28
In 16 of 17 schools. 12 in 2020/21
Allocated for 2026/27
28
In 16 schools
Autism classes
25
89% of special classes

Special classes since 2020/21

In the Dolphin's Barn–D12 planning area's mainstream schools, from the NCSE's yearly lists

  • 2020/21 12
  • 2021/22 15
  • 2022/23 19
  • 2023/24 22
  • 2024/25 25
  • 2025/26 28
  • 2026/27 28

2026/27, dashed: allocated for next year.

Special schools in the Dolphin's Barn–D12 planning area
Special school Pupils Since 2015/16 Teaching posts SNAs
Scoil EoinDublin 12 · Mild general learning disability 142
+18.3%
22 17
Solas Hospital SchoolDublin 12 98
+50.8%
– –
Our Lady of Hope SchoolDublin 12 · Community special school 45 – 9 26

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

What parents would prefer

2,070 households answered the Department of Education and Youth's Primary School Survey for the Dolphin's Barn–D12 planning area: 1,298 with children at its schools and 772 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
2,070
43% of households asked
Prefer a multi-denominational patron
52% / 62%
Children at school / not yet at school
Prefer teaching through Irish
21% / 30%
Children at school / not yet at school
Prefer single-sex
8% / 10%
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

242 pupils (7%) in 1 school

  • Pupils in such schools now: 7%
  • Parents: children at school: 52%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 62%

Teaching through Irish

No school here now

  • Pupils in such schools now: 0%
  • Parents: children at school: 21%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 30%

Single-sex

1,120 pupils (31%) in 6 schools

  • Pupils in such schools now: 31%
  • Parents: children at school: 8%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 10%

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
Assumption Junior SchoolDublin 12 434 118 of 371 ±7.5 34%13%14% 52 answered
Scoil Úna NaofaDublin 12 356 64 of 265 ±10.1 38%22%5% –
Drimnagh Castle CBS N SDublin 12 342 94 of 282 ±8.4 40%13%32% –
Holy Spirit Junior Primary SchoolDublin 12 270 113 of 230 ±7.6 42%12%6% 35 answered
Holy Spirit Senior Primary SchoolDublin 12 269 84 of 226 ±8.8 42%13%8% –
Riverview Educate Together National SchoolDublin 12 242 107 of 178 ±7.9 98%25%0% 82 answered
St Damiens NSDublin 12 231 86 of 177 ±8.7 62%19%0% 35 answered
S N Muire na Freastogala Girls Senior SchoolDublin 12 230 66 of 206 ±9.9 36%15%20% –
Scoil Mhuire Ogh 1Dublin 12 212 60 of 182 ±10.4 28%25%10% –
Marist National SchoolDublin 12 210 57 of 157 ±10.6 26%11%25% –
Muire Og 2 Loreto ConDublin 12 191 74 of 162 ±9.4 34%22%8% –
Our Lady of Good Counsel Girls Senior SchoolDublin 12 135 24 of 120 ±15.9 29%21%21% –
Our Lady of Good Counsel SchoolDublin 12 125 40 of 115 ±12.6 38%17%3% –
Lady of Good Counsel Boys Senior NSDublin 12 120 27 of 105 ±15.1 19%19%4% –
Our Lady of Wayside N SDublin 12 114 18 of 78 ±18.1 44%11%6% –
Scoil Iosagain Boys SeniorDublin 12 83 22 of 75 ±16.5 41%9%14% –
S N Naomh CillinDublin 12 30 7 of 21 ±26.4 71%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

17 schools, largest first. A dash in the change column means the school had no pupils recorded in that year, usually because it opened later or took a new roll number after an amalgamation.

Change over

Select a column heading to sort

Roll number
Assumption Junior SchoolDublin 12 20450T 434
−17.8%
– 18 23.44 27 0
Scoil Úna NaofaDublin 12 20488V 356 – – 20 17.25 23 0
Drimnagh Castle CBS N SDublin 12 19837N 342
−21.7%
−22.1%
14 24.43 32 2
Holy Spirit Junior Primary SchoolDublin 12 20463F 270
−14.8%
– 16 16.50 20 0
Holy Spirit Senior Primary SchoolDublin 12 20464H 269
−15.7%
– 13 19.85 26 0
Riverview Educate Together National SchoolDublin 12 20494Q 242 – – 9 25.67 32 2
St Damiens NSDublin 12 19943M 231
−2.5%
−5.7%
9 25.00 33 1
S N Muire na Freastogala Girls Senior SchoolDublin 12 18170B 230
+26.4%
+11.1%
9 24.89 28 0
Scoil Mhuire Ogh 1Dublin 12 16964F 212
+46.2%
+22.5%
10 20.60 24 0
Marist National SchoolDublin 12 18386B 210
−29.8%
−21.6%
11 18.55 23 0
Muire Og 2 Loreto ConDublin 12 17683C 191
−31.0%
−32.7%
12 14.92 17 0
Our Lady of Good Counsel Girls Senior SchoolDublin 12 17355I 135
+0.7%
−23.7%
7 16.14 21 0
Our Lady of Good Counsel SchoolDublin 12 17356K 125
−22.8%
−45.4%
8 14.12 21 0
Lady of Good Counsel Boys Senior NSDublin 12 19669S 120
−17.8%
−35.5%
7 15.57 21 0
Our Lady of Wayside N SDublin 12 19764M 114
+4.6%
+1.8%
7 15.43 20 0
Scoil Iosagain Boys SeniorDublin 12 17603B 83
−9.8%
−32.0%
4 18.00 23 0
S N Naomh CillinDublin 12 16983J 30
−6.2%
−11.8%
2 15.00 17 0