School Numbers
Menu
Find schools Counties Irish-medium Special schools About the data

School planning area

Killarney

19 primary schools and 3,113 pupils in 2025/26, in County Kerry.

Pupils in 2025/26
3,113
−130 on 2024/25
Since 2015/16
−4.6%
3,263 pupils in 2015/16
Schools
19
No change on 2024/25
Average class size
21.78
Average school size: 163.8

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 County Kerry, schools with no planning area had 0.1% of pupils in 2015/16, 7.7% in 2005/06 and 27.3% in 1975/76. Known data issues

Pupils

3,113

−130 on 2024/25

1975/762025/26

Schools

19

16 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average pupils per school

163.8

112.2 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average class size

21.78

−1.04 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. 345 in 2025/26, +11 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 (1 school today). 245 pupils in 2025/26, 7.9% of the area's pupils, against 6.9% 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

19 schools with figures for both years

6fell by 10% or more
6within 10%
7grew by 10% or more
Down 25% or more · 1Down 10 to 25% · 5Within 10% · 6Up 10 to 25% · 4Up 25% or more · 3

Average class size in these schools went from 25.8 in 2015/16 to 21.8 in 2025/26. 4 of the 6 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 Scoil BhrídeKillarney, Co. Kerry 108 → 129 +19.4%
  2. 2 Faha National SchoolKillarney, Co. Kerry 188 → 224 +19.1%
  3. 3 Scoil Barr DubhHeadford, Co. Kerry 80 → 95 +18.8%
  4. 4 Coolick National SchoolKillarney, Co. Kerry 100 → 113 +13.0%
  5. 5 Gaelscoil FaithleannCill Airne, Co. Kerry 226 → 245 +8.4%

Fallen most

Pupils in 2015/16 and 2025/26

  1. 1 S N Cill CuiminKillarney, Co. Kerry 169 → 113 −33.1%
  2. 2 St Olivers NSKillarney, Co. Kerry 776 → 625 −19.5%
  3. 3 S N an ChuilleanaigKillarney, Co. Kerry 179 → 152 −15.1%
  4. 4 Scoil Atha na mBlathKillarney, Co. Kerry 69 → 59 −14.5%
  5. 5 Holy Cross Primary SchoolKillarney, Co. Kerry 401 → 345 −14.0%

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.

Class sizes

Mainstream class groups only. The source does not identify which standard/year group each class group belongs to.

Average class size
21.78
Mainstream classes
137
Classes of 30 or more
11
Schools with a class of 30+
6

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.

How we count teachers
Class teachers in 2025/26
137
Up 34 since 2006/07, while pupils rose 18%
Teaching posts in 2025/26
about 231
Estimate: 137 class teachers, 9 principals and deputies, 64 special education and 21 special class teachers
Teachers in 2015/16
194
The Department's last count of every teacher
Since 2024/25
1 / 1
1 school 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 the Killarney planning area, and the special classes in the 19 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
21
In 8 of 19 schools. 15 in 2020/21
Allocated for 2026/27
23
In 9 schools: 2 new classes, 1 school with its first
Autism classes
15
71% of special classes

Special classes since 2020/21

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

  • 2020/21 15
  • 2021/22 18
  • 2022/23 18
  • 2023/24 19
  • 2024/25 19
  • 2025/26 21
  • 2026/27 23

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

1,061 households answered the Department of Education and Youth's Primary School Survey for the Killarney planning area: 686 with children at its schools and 375 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
1,061
42% of households asked
Prefer a multi-denominational patron
35% / 42%
Children at school / not yet at school
Prefer teaching through Irish
21% / 32%
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

46 pupils (2%) in 1 school

  • 2%
  • 35%
  • 42%

Teaching through Irish

245 pupils (8%) in 1 school

  • 8%
  • 21%
  • 32%

Single-sex

512 pupils (16%) in 2 schools

  • 16%
  • 3%
  • 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.
St Olivers NSKillarney 625 103 of 417 ±8 45%14%1% 33 answered
Holy Cross Primary SchoolKillarney 345 86 of 272 ±8.7 37%6%20% 52 answered
Lissivigeen MXD N SKillarney 269 62 of 166 ±10.2 32%18%0% 31 answered
S N an FhossaKillarney 246 72 of 166 ±9.5 44%19%0% –
Gaelscoil FaithleannCill Airne 245 60 of 119 ±10.4 35%92%0% 46 answered
Faha National SchoolKillarney 224 51 of 144 ±11.2 39%22%0% 33 answered
Scoil Mhuire na MainistreachKillarney 167 49 of 140 ±11.4 33%2%18% –
S N an ChuilleanaigKillarney 152 29 of 87 ±14.6 41%24%0% –
Scoil BhrídeKillarney 129 28 of 83 ±14.8 43%7%0% –
Coolick National SchoolKillarney 113 31 of 59 ±14.2 32%26%0% –
S N Cill CuiminKillarney 113 32 of 79 ±14 16%12%0% –
Scoil Barr DubhHeadford 95 27 of 70 ±15.1 33%19%0% –
Loughguitane N SKillarney 90 31 of 58 ±14.2 16%23%0% –
Knockanes MXD N SKillarney 69 15 of 27 ±19.5 33%0%0% –
Scoil Atha na mBlathKillarney 59 22 of 37 ±16.5 27%5%0% –
Tiernaboul N SKillarney 57 18 of 38 ±18.1 28%17%0% –
Two Mile Community National SchoolKillarney 46 8 of 32 ±25.1 75%0%0% –
Glenflesk N SKillarney 35 14 of 23 ±20.1 43%29%0% –
Raheen National SchoolKillarney 34 16 of 26 ±19 19%19%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

19 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 Olivers NSKillarney 19512I 625
−19.5%
+29.7%
24 23.62 27 0
Holy Cross Primary SchoolKillarney 19487M 345
−14.0%
−6.0%
16 20.06 25 0
Lissivigeen MXD N SKillarney 08791E 269
−1.1%
+38.7%
11 23.91 32 2
S N an FhossaKillarney 17012B 246
−2.0%
+45.6%
11 21.36 31 2
Gaelscoil FaithleannCill Airne 19941I 245
+8.4%
+12.4%
10 24.50 35 3
Faha National SchoolKillarney 11405N 224
+19.1%
+56.6%
9 24.44 32 2
Scoil Mhuire na MainistreachKillarney 18049G 167
0.0%
+42.7%
8 19.38 26 0
S N an ChuilleanaigKillarney 17710C 152
−15.1%
+14.3%
8 17.50 25 0
Scoil BhrídeKillarney 10050U 129
+19.4%
+1.6%
5 25.80 29 0
Coolick National SchoolKillarney 10014Q 113
+13.0%
+140.4%
5 22.60 30 1
S N Cill CuiminKillarney 17231N 113
−33.1%
+17.7%
5 22.60 28 0
Scoil Barr DubhHeadford 05970M 95
+18.8%
+35.7%
4 23.75 31 1
Loughguitane N SKillarney 10049M 90
0.0%
+42.9%
5 18.00 24 0
Knockanes MXD N SKillarney 13150Q 69
0.0%
+38.0%
3 22.33 25 0
Scoil Atha na mBlathKillarney 11363A 59
−14.5%
−16.9%
3 19.67 20 0
Tiernaboul N SKillarney 15644F 57
+67.6%
+3.6%
3 19.00 24 0
Two Mile Community National SchoolKillarney 17365L 46
+170.6%
−32.4%
3 15.33 19 0
Glenflesk N SKillarney 09302O 35
+40.0%
+16.7%
2 17.50 26 0
Raheen National SchoolKillarney 09304S 34
−19.0%
−2.9%
2 17.00 18 0