School planning area

Montenotte–CorkCity

8 primary schools and 1,374 pupils in 2025/26, in County Cork.

Pupils in 2025/26
1,374
+14 on 2024/25
Since 2015/16
+16.8%
1,176 pupils in 2015/16
Schools
8
No change on 2024/25
Average class size
18.60
Average school size: 171.8

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 Cork, schools with no planning area had 3.2% of pupils in 2015/16, 8.7% in 2005/06 and 29.9% in 1975/76. Known data issues

Pupils

1,374

+14 on 2024/25

1975/762025/26

Schools

8

6 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average pupils per school

171.8

359.3 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average class size

18.60

+0.37 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. 184 in 2025/26, +48 on 2024/25.

Girls and boys

From 1977/78: 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). 393 pupils in 2025/26, 28.6% of the area's pupils, against 28.3% 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

7 schools with figures for both years

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

4fell by 10% or more
1within 10%
2grew by 10% or more
Down 25% or more · 3Down 10 to 25% · 1Within 10% · 1Up 10 to 25% · 2Up 25% or more · 0

Average class size in these schools went from 21.5 in 2015/16 to 18.8 in 2025/26. 1 of the 4 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

1 school still filling its classes in 2015/16 or opened since, with 304 pupils. It isn’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
18.60
Mainstream classes
68
Classes of 30 or more
3
Schools with a class of 30+
1

Teachers

Teachers in the 8 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
68
Up 9 since 2006/07, while pupils rose 13%
Teaching posts in 2025/26
about 136
Estimate: 68 class teachers, 9 principals and deputies, 39 special education and 20 special class teachers
Teachers in 2015/16
90
The Department's last count of every teacher
Since 2024/25
1 / 2
1 school gained a class teacher, 2 lost one

Class teachers since 2006/07

One for each mainstream class, every school year

Special schools and special classes

4 special schools in the Montenotte–CorkCity planning area, and the special classes in its 8 mainstream schools. Special schools aren't counted in the pupils, class sizes or teachers above.

All special schools
Pupils in special schools
396
In 4 schools, up from 353 in 2015/16
Special classes in 2025/26
20
In 7 of 8 schools. 10 in 2020/21
Allocated for 2026/27
21
In 8 schools: 1 new class, 1 school with its first
Autism classes
18
90% of special classes

Special classes since 2020/21

In the Montenotte–CorkCity planning area's mainstream schools, from the NCSE's yearly lists

  • 2020/21 10
  • 2021/22 13
  • 2022/23 15
  • 2023/24 17
  • 2024/25 17
  • 2025/26 20
  • 2026/27 21

2026/27, dashed: allocated for next year.

Special schools in the Montenotte–CorkCity planning area
Special school Pupils Since 2015/16 Teaching posts SNAs
St Bernadettes Spec SCHMontenotte · Mild general learning disability 132
+8.2%
19 20
St Killians Spec SCHCork · Specific learning disability 106
+53.6%
18 40
St Paul's SchoolCork · Moderate general learning disability 92
−3.2%
16 45
Scoil EannaCork · Mild general learning disability 66
−1.5%
9 16

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

What parents would prefer

541 households answered the Department of Education and Youth's Primary School Survey for the Montenotte–CorkCity planning area: 362 with children at its schools and 179 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
541
33% of households asked
Prefer a multi-denominational patron
59% / 53%
Children at school / not yet at school
Prefer teaching through Irish
32% / 37%
Children at school / not yet at school
Prefer single-sex
10% / 11%
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

393 pupils (29%) in 1 school

  • Pupils in such schools now: 29%
  • Parents: children at school: 59%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 53%

Teaching through Irish

393 pupils (29%) in 1 school

  • Pupils in such schools now: 29%
  • Parents: children at school: 32%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 37%

Single-sex

494 pupils (36%) in 4 schools

  • Pupils in such schools now: 36%
  • Parents: children at school: 10%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 11%

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
Gaelscoil an Ghoirt AlainnCorcaigh 393 138 of 289 ±6.9 83%91%1% 75 answered
Scoil Mhuire agus EoinMayfield 304 58 of 230 ±10.6 34%10%7% –
St Patricks B N SCork 152 37 of 131 ±13.1 41%14%19% –
S N Padraig Naofa CCork 128 28 of 111 ±14.8 39%18%18% –
S N Bhreanndain CCork 115 23 of 83 ±16.2 30%0%61% –
S N Mharcuis BCork 99 19 of 77 ±17.7 42%5%58% –
St Lukes MXD N SCork 96 31 of 69 ±14.2 77%16%0% –
S N Padraig NaofaCork 87 25 of 82 ±15.6 44%20%8% –

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

8 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 an Ghoirt AlainnCorcaigh 19993E 393
+18.0%
+42.4%
16 24.56 35 3
Scoil Mhuire agus EoinMayfield 20497W 304 – – 16 17.88 21 0
St Patricks B N SCork 17045Q 152
−27.3%
−39.4%
9 15.56 22 0
S N Padraig Naofa CCork 18153B 128
−35.7%
−49.6%
7 18.29 23 0
S N Bhreanndain CCork 19427R 115
+18.6%
+21.1%
6 14.17 25 0
S N Mharcuis BCork 19426P 99
−11.6%
+19.3%
5 14.20 19 0
St Lukes MXD N SCork 13648D 96
+9.1%
+12.9%
4 22.50 28 0
S N Padraig NaofaCork 18154D 87
−37.0%
−43.9%
5 14.40 16 0