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School planning area

Drogheda

26 primary schools and 8,513 pupils in 2025/26, in Counties Louth and Meath.

Pupils in 2025/26
8,513
−112 on 2024/25
Since 2015/16
+0.5%
8,468 pupils in 2015/16
Schools
26
No change on 2024/25
Average class size
22.31
Average school size: 327.4

By county

This planning area crosses county lines. Select a county to see its part of the area.

Change over
Louth 17 6,263
+5.0%
+91.7%
Meath 9 2,250
−10.0%
+62.8%

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 Counties Louth and Meath, schools with no planning area had 1.5% of pupils in 2015/16, 6.4% in 2005/06 and 17.6% in 1975/76. Known data issues

Pupils

8,513

−112 on 2024/25

1975/762025/26

Schools

26

18 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average pupils per school

327.4

205.6 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average class size

22.31

+0.03 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.

Area figures by year (CSV) Each school by year (CSV)

Junior infants

Pupils starting school each year. Class-by-class figures start in 2020/21. 877 in 2025/26, −65 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). 530 pupils in 2025/26, 6.2% of the area's pupils, against 7.7% 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

24 schools with figures for both years

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

11fell by 10% or more
11within 10%
2grew by 10% or more
Down 25% or more · 3Down 10 to 25% · 8Within 10% · 11Up 10 to 25% · 2Up 25% or more · 0

Average class size in these schools went from 25.5 in 2015/16 to 22.3 in 2025/26. 8 of the 11 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

Grown most

Pupils in 2015/16 and 2025/26

  1. 1 Presentation ConventDrogheda, Co. Louth 321 → 385 +19.9%
  2. 2 S N Naomh TreasaDrogheda, Co. Meath 93 → 105 +12.9%
  3. 3 S N Ard Mhuire CDrogheda, Co. Louth 294 → 315 +7.1%
  4. 4 St Pauls Senior NSDrogheda, Co. Louth 441 → 466 +5.7%
  5. 5 Scoil Náisíunta Naomh FeichínDrogheda, Co. Louth 295 → 307 +4.1%

Fallen most

Pupils in 2015/16 and 2025/26

  1. 1 Scoil Naomh PioBeauparc, Co. Meath 90 → 59 −34.4%
  2. 2 S N AonghusaDroichead Atha, Co. Louth 211 → 147 −30.3%
  3. 3 S N Dun UabhairDrogheda, Co. Meath 225 → 166 −26.2%
  4. 4 S N Muire gan SmalDrogheda, Co. Louth 254 → 201 −20.9%
  5. 5 Callystown Mixed N SClogherhead, Co. Louth 319 → 261 −18.2%

Ranked by percentage change. Only schools with 50 or more pupils in 2015/16 are ranked, leaving out any still filling their classes then, because a few pupils make a big percentage in a small or new school. An amalgamation, a new school nearby or smaller classes can also explain a big rise or fall.

Newer schools

2 schools still filling their classes in 2015/16 or opened since, with 928 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
22.31
Mainstream classes
372
Classes of 30 or more
8
Schools with a class of 30+
6

Teachers

Teachers in the 26 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
372
Up 186 since 2006/07, while pupils rose 73%
Teaching posts in 2025/26
about 578
Estimate: 372 class teachers, 24 principals and deputies, 146 special education and 36 special class teachers
Teachers in 2015/16
474
The Department's last count of every teacher
Since 2024/25
1 / 7
1 school gained a class teacher, 7 lost one

Class teachers since 2006/07

One for each mainstream class, every school year

Special schools and special classes

2 special schools in the Drogheda planning area, and the special classes in its 26 mainstream schools. Special schools aren't counted in the pupils, class sizes or teachers above.

All special schools
Pupils in special schools
238
In 2 schools, up from 164 in 2015/16
Special classes in 2025/26
36
In 19 of 26 schools. 20 in 2020/21
Allocated for 2026/27
41
In 20 schools: 5 new classes, 1 school with its first
Autism classes
33
92% of special classes

Special classes since 2020/21

In the Drogheda planning area's mainstream schools, from the NCSE's yearly lists

  • 2020/21 20
  • 2021/22 22
  • 2022/23 26
  • 2023/24 30
  • 2024/25 31
  • 2025/26 36
  • 2026/27 41

2026/27, dashed: allocated for next year.

Special school Pupils Since 2015/16 Teaching posts SNAs
St Itas Special SchoolDrogheda · Mild general learning disability 207
+54.5%
27 30
ABACAS SchoolDrogheda · Autism 31 – 7 23

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

What parents would prefer

3,263 households answered the Department of Education and Youth's Primary School Survey for the Drogheda planning area: 2,267 with children at its schools and 996 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
The Department's own results: All 314 areas (Excel)Interactive mapSummary report with county figures (PDF)
Households that answered
3,263
42% of households asked
Prefer a multi-denominational patron
44% / 47%
Children at school / not yet at school
Prefer teaching through Irish
17% / 22%
Children at school / not yet at school
Prefer single-sex
6% / 7%
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

1,141 pupils (13%) in 3 schools

  • 13%
  • 44%
  • 47%

Teaching through Irish

530 pupils (6%) in 2 schools

  • 6%
  • 17%
  • 22%

Single-sex

1,428 pupils (17%) in 4 schools

  • 17%
  • 6%
  • 7%

Bars run from 0 to 50%.

Each school's parents

Parents of children at each school. Bold marks the school's set-up now.
St Marys Parish Primary SchoolDrogheda 967 395 of 736 ±4.1 36%9%3% 185 answered
St Brigid's and St Patrick's National SchoolDrogheda 575 159 of 434 ±6.5 33%9%3% 58 answered
St Pauls Senior NSDrogheda 466 119 of 385 ±7.5 35%5%4% –
S N Tulach AluinnTullyallen 411 101 of 269 ±8.1 42%19%0% 38 answered
Presentation ConventDrogheda 385 115 of 295 ±7.6 37%9%8% 39 answered
Gaelscoil an Bhradáin FeasaDroichead Átha 383 121 of 264 ±7.4 74%89%1% 81 answered
Le Cheile Educate Together NSDrogheda 383 135 of 291 ±7 93%9%1% 51 answered
Aston Village Educate Together National SchoolDrogheda 375 84 of 284 ±8.8 80%7%4% 33 answered
Rathmullan N SDrogheda 373 105 of 289 ±7.9 49%8%3% –
S N Realt na Mara (B)Mornington 373 119 of 305 ±7.5 35%9%18% 77 answered
S N Realt na Mara (C)Donacarney 373 111 of 312 ±7.7 33%9%41% –
Scoil na mBraithre SnDrogheda 359 54 of 275 ±10.9 43%9%2% –
Scoil Oilibhéir NaofaDrogheda 353 62 of 284 ±10.2 34%8%2% 30 answered
S N Bheinin Naofa CDuleek 343 80 of 265 ±9 46%19%30% –
S N Bheinn Naofa BDuleek 339 100 of 273 ±8.1 43%9%25% 30 answered
S N Ard Mhuire CDrogheda 315 103 of 252 ±8 40%12%4% 37 answered
Scoil Náisíunta Naomh FeichínDrogheda 307 77 of 217 ±9.2 39%18%0% –
Naomh SeosamhDrogheda 293 91 of 207 ±8.5 34%8%4% –
Callystown Mixed N SClogherhead 261 57 of 178 ±10.6 37%14%0% –
S N Muire gan SmalDrogheda 201 39 of 142 ±12.7 38%18%0% –
S N Dun UabhairDrogheda 166 53 of 122 ±11 49%13%0% –
S N AonghusaDroichead Atha 147 76 of 116 ±9.3 33%95%3% 31 answered
S N Naomh ColmcilleDuleek 109 34 of 74 ±13.6 32%15%0% –
S N Naomh TreasaDrogheda 105 35 of 63 ±13.4 43%14%0% –
S N Naomh PeadarDrogheda 92 15 of 66 ±19.5 47%0%13% –
Scoil Naomh PioBeauparc 59 11 of 22 ±22.2 45%18%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

26 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
St Marys Parish Primary SchoolDrogheda 20205G Louth 967
−11.0%
– 40 24.18 27 0
St Brigid's and St Patrick's National SchoolDrogheda 20508B Louth 575 – – 25 22.76 26 0
St Pauls Senior NSDrogheda 19678T Louth 466
+5.7%
+75.2%
20 22.75 25 0
S N Tulach AluinnTullyallen 17726R Louth 411
−9.5%
+81.9%
17 23.12 28 0
Presentation ConventDrogheda 00851C Louth 385
+19.9%
+15.6%
17 22.65 29 0
Gaelscoil an Bhradáin FeasaDroichead Átha 20258E Meath 383
−13.3%
– 16 23.31 29 0
Le Cheile Educate Together NSDrogheda 20146Q Louth 383
−12.6%
– 16 23.94 27 0
Aston Village Educate Together National SchoolDrogheda 20294I Louth 375
+0.8%
– 16 21.56 24 0
Rathmullan N SDrogheda 19479N Louth 373
−12.4%
+19.6%
22 16.64 19 0
S N Realt na Mara (B)Mornington 18762D Meath 373
−15.8%
+30.0%
16 22.56 31 2
S N Realt na Mara (C)Donacarney 18767N Meath 373
−12.4%
+17.7%
16 22.56 32 2
Scoil na mBraithre SnDrogheda 17059E Louth 359
+4.1%
−7.0%
16 22.06 24 0
Scoil Oilibhéir NaofaDrogheda 20349H Louth 353 – – 15 22.73 28 0
S N Bheinin Naofa CDuleek 17840P Meath 343
+3.3%
+62.6%
14 23.64 29 0
S N Bheinn Naofa BDuleek 17839H Meath 339
−1.7%
+52.7%
14 23.36 30 1
S N Ard Mhuire CDrogheda 19215C Louth 315
+7.1%
−10.3%
16 19.31 22 0
Scoil Náisíunta Naomh FeichínDrogheda 16208N Louth 307
+4.1%
+32.3%
13 22.69 27 0
Naomh SeosamhDrogheda 18069M Louth 293
+0.3%
+85.4%
12 24.42 30 1
Callystown Mixed N SClogherhead 14252G Louth 261
−18.2%
+7.0%
10 25.10 35 1
S N Muire gan SmalDrogheda 18045V Louth 201
−20.9%
−1.5%
9 21.00 27 0
S N Dun UabhairDrogheda 17856H Meath 166
−26.2%
+58.1%
8 19.25 26 0
S N AonghusaDroichead Atha 19740V Louth 147
−30.3%
−29.0%
8 18.38 21 0
S N Naomh ColmcilleDuleek 18500T Meath 109
+3.8%
+18.5%
5 21.80 29 0
S N Naomh TreasaDrogheda 18413B Meath 105
+12.9%
−0.9%
4 26.25 30 1
S N Naomh PeadarDrogheda 11072M Louth 92
−1.1%
−8.9%
4 21.50 24 0
Scoil Naomh PioBeauparc 16549Q Meath 59
−34.4%
+40.5%
3 17.67 21 0