School planning area

Navan

19 primary schools and 5,965 pupils in 2025/26, in County Meath.

Pupils in 2025/26
5,965
+21 on 2024/25
Since 2015/16
−3.3%
6,166 pupils in 2015/16
Schools
19
−1 on 2024/25
Average class size
22.95
Average school size: 313.9

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 Meath, schools with no planning area had 0.1% of pupils in 2015/16, 0.3% in 2005/06 and 12.7% in 1975/76. Known data issues

Pupils

5,965

+21 on 2024/25

1975/762025/26

Schools

19

14 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average pupils per school

313.9

231.4 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average class size

22.95

+0.74 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. 677 in 2025/26, +39 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). 138 pupils in 2025/26, 2.3% of the area's pupils, against 4.0% 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

18 schools with figures for both years

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

9fell by 10% or more
7within 10%
2grew by 10% or more
Down 25% or more · 2Down 10 to 25% · 7Within 10% · 7Up 10 to 25% · 1Up 25% or more · 1

Average class size in these schools went from 27.2 in 2015/16 to 22.8 in 2025/26. 5 of the 9 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 Naomh BarraNavan, Co. Meath 164 → 238 +45.1%
  2. 2 Navan Educate Together NSNavan, Co. Meath 188 → 213 +13.3%
  3. 3 Scoil Naomh EoinNavan, Co. Meath 343 → 375 +9.3%
  4. 4 St Pauls N SNavan, Co. Meath 721 → 761 +5.5%
  5. 5 Bohermeen N SNavan, Co. Meath 233 → 237 +1.7%

Fallen most

Pupils in 2015/16 and 2025/26

  1. 1 Gaelscoil EannaAn Uaimh, Co. Meath 245 → 138 −43.7%
  2. 2 Flowerfield N SNavan, Co. Meath 58 → 40 −31.0%
  3. 3 Mercy Convent N SNavan, Co. Meath 488 → 385 −21.1%
  4. 4 S N Baile CheantNavan, Co. Meath 263 → 214 −18.6%
  5. 5 St Oliver Plunkett NSNavan, Co. Meath 478 → 399 −16.5%

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

1 school still filling its classes in 2015/16 or opened since, with 384 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
22.95
Mainstream classes
253
Classes of 30 or more
16
Schools with a class of 30+
9

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
253
Up 76 since 2006/07, while pupils rose 29%
Teaching posts in 2025/26
about 389
Estimate: 253 class teachers, 21 principals and deputies, 89 special education and 26 special class teachers
Teachers in 2015/16
321
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 Navan planning area, and the special classes in its 19 mainstream schools. Special schools aren't counted in the pupils, class sizes or teachers above.

All special schools
Pupils in special schools
205
In 2 schools, up from 202 in 2015/16
Special classes in 2025/26
26
In 11 of 19 schools. 12 in 2020/21
Allocated for 2026/27
30
In 14 schools: 4 new classes, 3 schools with their first
Autism classes
24
92% of special classes

Special classes since 2020/21

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

  • 2020/21 12
  • 2021/22 14
  • 2022/23 19
  • 2023/24 20
  • 2024/25 24
  • 2025/26 26
  • 2026/27 30

2026/27, dashed: allocated for next year.

Special schools in the Navan planning area
Special school Pupils Since 2015/16 Teaching posts SNAs
St Ultans Special SCHNavan · Mild general learning disability 122
+4.3%
16 23.5
St Marys Special SchoolNavan · Moderate general learning disability 83
−2.4%
14 42

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

What parents would prefer

2,113 households answered the Department of Education and Youth's Primary School Survey for the Navan planning area: 1,481 with children at its schools and 632 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
2,113
39% of households asked
Prefer a multi-denominational patron
41% / 43%
Children at school / not yet at school
Prefer teaching through Irish
16% / 21%
Children at school / not yet at school
Prefer single-sex
2% / 5%
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

597 pupils (10%) in 2 schools

  • Pupils in such schools now: 10%
  • Parents: children at school: 41%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 43%

Teaching through Irish

138 pupils (2%) in 1 school

  • Pupils in such schools now: 2%
  • Parents: children at school: 16%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 21%

Single-sex

No school here now

  • Pupils in such schools now: 0%
  • Parents: children at school: 2%
  • Parents: children not yet at school: 5%

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
St Stephens NSNavan 805 222 of 584 ±5.5 40%8%1% 52 answered
St Pauls N SNavan 761 146 of 578 ±6.7 32%12%1% 79 answered
St Oliver Plunkett NSNavan 399 84 of 297 ±8.8 45%17%1% –
Scoil BhrídeNavan 392 121 of 270 ±7.4 35%11%2% 51 answered
Mercy Convent N SNavan 385 111 of 289 ±7.7 36%3%4% 30 answered
Ard Rí Community National SchoolNavan 384 101 of 271 ±8.1 83%13%2% 44 answered
Scoil Naomh EoinNavan 375 67 of 251 ±9.9 36%4%3% –
Aine Naofa N SNavan 312 72 of 241 ±9.5 38%17%4% –
S N Naomh PadraigSlane 253 76 of 178 ±9.3 53%24%0% –
Scoil Naomh BarraNavan 238 76 of 161 ±9.3 47%25%1% –
Bohermeen N SNavan 237 58 of 114 ±10.6 24%19%0% –
S N na Trionoide NaofaNavan 233 57 of 156 ±10.6 37%14%0% –
S N Baile CheantNavan 214 71 of 157 ±9.6 42%24%3% –
Navan Educate Together NSNavan 213 42 of 149 ±12.3 74%7%5% –
Scoil Nais Aitinn BhuiNavan 211 49 of 117 ±11.4 37%14%0% –
S N MhuireNavan 205 35 of 137 ±13.4 46%6%9% –
Stackallen N SNavan 170 62 of 108 ±10.2 40%21%0% –
Gaelscoil EannaAn Uaimh 138 38 of 105 ±12.9 24%95%3% –
Flowerfield N SNavan 40 6 of 31 ±27.9 0%17%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 Stephens NSNavan 20179I 805
+0.5%
– 32 24.16 30 1
St Pauls N SNavan 19671F 761
+5.5%
+51.6%
32 23.41 27 0
St Oliver Plunkett NSNavan 19476H 399
−16.5%
−35.3%
16 24.19 29 0
Scoil BhrídeNavan 15104T 392
−11.7%
+20.2%
16 24.50 28 0
Mercy Convent N SNavan 16100Q 385
−21.1%
−6.8%
19 20.26 26 0
Ard Rí Community National SchoolNavan 20352T 384 – – 15 25.60 34 3
Scoil Naomh EoinNavan 20180Q 375
+9.3%
– 19 19.11 27 0
Aine Naofa N SNavan 00883P 312
−6.0%
−4.6%
12 25.42 28 0
S N Naomh PadraigSlane 18040L 253
−8.3%
+25.2%
10 24.70 35 2
Scoil Naomh BarraNavan 19253K 238
+45.1%
+85.9%
10 22.60 32 1
Bohermeen N SNavan 17175G 237
+1.7%
+23.4%
10 23.70 32 4
S N na Trionoide NaofaNavan 18106P 233
−15.0%
−2.1%
10 23.30 30 1
S N Baile CheantNavan 17480L 214
−18.6%
+10.3%
8 25.25 34 2
Navan Educate Together NSNavan 20164S 213
+13.3%
– 9 20.33 26 0
Scoil Nais Aitinn BhuiNavan 17741N 211
−5.4%
+15.3%
9 23.44 32 1
S N MhuireNavan 17969U 205
−11.3%
+12.0%
10 19.30 23 0
Stackallen N SNavan 01309L 170
−12.4%
−10.1%
7 24.29 32 1
Gaelscoil EannaAn Uaimh 19725C 138
−43.7%
−28.5%
6 21.17 29 0
Flowerfield N SNavan 12788O 40
−31.0%
−36.5%
3 13.33 15 0

Closed schools counted here

These schools closed after the Department started recording planning areas in 2023/24, so their earlier pupils are included in the trends above.

School Roll number Last year Pupils that year
St Louis N SNavan 15483H 2024/25 13