School planning area

Monaghan

22 primary schools and 2,984 pupils in 2025/26, in County Monaghan.

Pupils in 2025/26
2,984
−17 on 2024/25
Since 2015/16
+4.5%
2,856 pupils in 2015/16
Schools
22
No change on 2024/25
Average class size
22.11
Average school size: 135.6

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 Monaghan, schools with no planning area had 0.0% of pupils in 2015/16, 2.2% in 2005/06 and 16.0% in 1975/76. Known data issues

Pupils

2,984

−17 on 2024/25

1975/762025/26

Schools

22

17 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average pupils per school

135.6

135.8 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average class size

22.11

+0.06 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. 365 in 2025/26, +2 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). 373 pupils in 2025/26, 12.5% of the area's pupils, against 11.7% 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

22 schools with figures for both years

8fell by 10% or more
3within 10%
11grew by 10% or more
Down 25% or more · 4Down 10 to 25% · 4Within 10% · 3Up 10 to 25% · 1Up 25% or more · 10

Average class size in these schools went from 24.8 in 2015/16 to 22.1 in 2025/26. 5 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

Grown most

Pupils in 2015/16 and 2025/26

  1. 1 St Dympnas NSTedavnet, Co. Monaghan 73 → 124 +69.9%
  2. 2 Corcaghan N SStranooden, Co. Monaghan 61 → 92 +50.8%
  3. 3 Monaghan Model SchoolMonaghan, Co. Monaghan 137 → 199 +45.3%
  4. 4 Scoil Naomh MhuireClontibret, Co. Monaghan 142 → 202 +42.3%
  5. 5 Scoil BhrighdeTyholland, Co. Monaghan 53 → 75 +41.5%

Fallen most

Pupils in 2015/16 and 2025/26

  1. 1 St Louis Infant SchoolMonaghan, Co. Monaghan 293 → 208 −29.0%
  2. 2 St. Louis Girls National SchoolMonaghan, Co. Monaghan 251 → 202 −19.5%
  3. 3 St Marys BNSMonaghan, Co. Monaghan 277 → 229 −17.3%
  4. 4 Scoil MhuireGlaslough, Co. Monaghan 98 → 86 −12.2%
  5. 5 Corr A Chrainn National SchoolEmyvale, Co. Monaghan 209 → 202 −3.3%

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
22.11
Mainstream classes
131
Classes of 30 or more
7
Schools with a class of 30+
6

Teachers

Teachers in the 22 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
131
Up 27 since 2006/07, while pupils rose 19%
Teaching posts in 2025/26
about 206
Estimate: 131 class teachers, 9 principals and deputies, 50 special education and 15 special class teachers
Teachers in 2015/16
167
The Department's last count of every teacher
Since 2024/25
2 / 4
2 schools gained a class teacher, 4 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 Monaghan planning area, and the special classes in the 22 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
15
In 8 of 22 schools. 10 in 2020/21
Allocated for 2026/27
17
In 8 schools: 2 new classes
Autism classes
12
80% of special classes

Special classes since 2020/21

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

  • 2020/21 10
  • 2021/22 10
  • 2022/23 10
  • 2023/24 10
  • 2024/25 13
  • 2025/26 15
  • 2026/27 17

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

869 households answered the Department of Education and Youth's Primary School Survey for the Monaghan planning area: 578 with children at its schools and 291 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
869
40% of households asked
Prefer a multi-denominational patron
28% / 33%
Children at school / not yet at school
Prefer teaching through Irish
21% / 27%
Children at school / not yet at school
Prefer single-sex
3% / 3%
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: 28%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 33%

Teaching through Irish

373 pupils (13%) in 1 school

  • Pupils in such schools now: 13%
  • Parents: children at school: 21%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 27%

Single-sex

431 pupils (14%) in 2 schools

  • Pupils in such schools now: 14%
  • Parents: children at school: 3%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 3%

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
Gaelscoil UltainMuineacháin 373 68 of 207 ±9.8 32%93%0% 37 answered
Urbleshanny N SScotstown 296 76 of 182 ±9.3 25%26%0% –
St Marys BNSMonaghan 229 56 of 183 ±10.7 36%11%16% –
St Louis Infant SchoolMonaghan 208 30 of 151 ±14.4 47%7%17% –
Corr A Chrainn National SchoolEmyvale 202 40 of 100 ±12.6 38%10%0% –
Scoil Naomh MhuireClontibret 202 65 of 130 ±10 35%9%0% –
St. Louis Girls National SchoolMonaghan 202 45 of 172 ±11.9 36%7%16% –
Monaghan Model SchoolMonaghan 199 34 of 129 ±13.6 50%3%3% –
Edenmore N.S.Emyvale 159 42 of 86 ±12.3 21%10%0% –
Threemilehouse N SThreemilehouse 141 33 of 81 ±13.8 18%12%3% –
St Dympnas NSTedavnet 124 Too few to publish – ––– –
Knockconnon N SEmyvale 118 19 of 52 ±17.7 21%11%0% –
Corcaghan N SStranooden 92 31 of 59 ±14.2 13%19%3% –
Scoil MhuireGlaslough 86 22 of 59 ±16.5 23%14%0% –
Scoil BhrighdeTyholland 75 28 of 46 ±14.8 25%11%0% –
Deravoy National SchoolEmyvale 71 20 of 45 ±17.3 35%20%0% –
Scoil MhichilCastleshane 60 16 of 35 ±19 6%0%0% –
St Josephs N SScotstown 60 18 of 37 ±18.1 28%0%0% –
St Patricks N SKillybrone 33 9 of 22 ±24 33%11%0% –
Scoil PhadraigTyholland 23 8 of 14 ±25.1 38%25%0% –
The Billis National SchoolGlaslough 16 6 of 13 ±27.9 50%0%0% –
Drumacruttin N SDunraymond 15 Too few to publish – ––– –

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

22 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
Gaelscoil UltainMuineacháin 19936P 373
+11.3%
+90.3%
16 23.31 26 0
Urbleshanny N SScotstown 16923O 296
−2.6%
+9.6%
13 22.31 29 0
St Marys BNSMonaghan 17150N 229
−17.3%
−21.3%
9 22.56 31 1
St Louis Infant SchoolMonaghan 18494E 208
−29.0%
−25.4%
9 23.11 25 0
Corr A Chrainn National SchoolEmyvale 18028V 202
−3.3%
−6.9%
8 24.50 31 2
Scoil Naomh MhuireClontibret 18539A 202
+42.3%
+48.5%
8 23.00 27 0
St. Louis Girls National SchoolMonaghan 00359V 202
−19.5%
−27.1%
8 24.62 28 0
Monaghan Model SchoolMonaghan 07751K 199
+45.3%
+64.5%
8 24.88 31 1
Edenmore N.S.Emyvale 20337A 159
+25.2%
– 7 22.29 35 1
Threemilehouse N SThreemilehouse 19162H 141
+7.6%
+14.6%
6 20.50 24 0
St Dympnas NSTedavnet 19738L 124
+69.9%
+37.8%
5 23.60 30 1
Knockconnon N SEmyvale 15654I 118
+32.6%
+136.0%
5 23.60 30 1
Corcaghan N SStranooden 16129R 92
+50.8%
+33.3%
4 23.00 26 0
Scoil MhuireGlaslough 18401R 86
−12.2%
−3.4%
4 21.50 27 0
Scoil BhrighdeTyholland 18256L 75
+41.5%
+66.7%
3 25.00 27 0
Deravoy National SchoolEmyvale 00373P 71
+31.5%
+26.8%
4 17.75 21 0
Scoil MhichilCastleshane 16954C 60
+106.9%
+71.4%
3 20.00 24 0
St Josephs N SScotstown 20067U 60
+71.4%
+130.8%
3 20.00 24 0
St Patricks N SKillybrone 19362P 33
−13.2%
−45.9%
2 16.50 19 0
Scoil PhadraigTyholland 19036C 23
−36.1%
−23.3%
2 11.50 14 0
The Billis National SchoolGlaslough 20246U 16
−67.3%
– 2 8.00 10 0
Drumacruttin N SDunraymond 10282S 15
−57.1%
−50.0%
2 7.50 12 0