School planning areas
The Department of Education and Youth groups schools into 314 planning areas to plan school places. Select an area for its trends, its schools and what its parents would prefer, across county lines.
Ireland: what parents told the Department of Education and Youth in its Primary School Survey, November–December 2025. These are preferences, not applications.
- Households that answered
- 200,365
- 133,968 with children at school
- 66,397 with children not yet at school
- Multi-denominational patron
- 47%
- of parents of children not yet at school would prefer one
- 44% of parents at school · 7.8% of pupils in multi-denominational schools now
- Teaching through Irish
- 26%
- of parents of children not yet at school would prefer it
- 20% of parents at school · 8.0% of pupils in all-Irish schools now
- Single-sex
- 6%
- of parents of children not yet at school would prefer one
- 5% of parents at school · 12.8% of pupils in single-sex schools now
- Pupils in such schools now
- Parents of children at school
- Parents of children not yet at school
Where preferences run ahead of places
Areas with no school of a kind that many parents of children not yet at school would prefer.
40 of 314 areas
These 40 areas have no multi-denominational school, though half or more of parents of children not yet at school there would prefer one. Show all 314 areas
Select a column heading to sort
| Chart, 0 to 100% | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RoscarberyCork · 5 schools | 192 46% | 0% | 22% | 33% | +33 | |
| ClifdenGalway · 13 schools | 218 46% | 0% | 23% | 30% | +30 | |
| KilkeeClare · 7 schools | 107 37% | 0% | 16% | 30% | +30 | |
| LaytownMeath · 4 schools | 690 44% | 0% | 20% | 28% | +28 | |
| RathdrumWicklow · 6 schools | 458 49% | 0% | 19% | 27% | +27 | |
| CrosshavenCork · 4 schools | 261 47% | 0% | 18% | 26% | +26 | |
| SchullCork · 2 schools | 82 44% | 0% | 18% | 26% | +26 | |
| Dublin–6wDublin · 7 schools | 1,030 37% | 8% | 20% | 32% | +24 | |
| BallingarryTipperary · 5 schools | 118 44% | 0% | 10% | 23% | +23 | |
| Prosperous–ClaneKildare · 11 schools | 1,207 48% | 0% | 16% | 23% | +23 | |
| BlanchardstownVge–D15Dublin · 11 schools | 1,119 33% | 8% | 20% | 30% | +22 | |
| BallisodareSligo · 5 schools | 247 41% | 0% | 15% | 21% | +21 | |
| Beaumont–CoolockD5Dublin · 10 schools | 1,299 43% | 7% | 22% | 28% | +21 | |
| Booterstown–BlackrockDublin · 6 schools | 583 43% | 0% | 21% | 21% | +21 | |
| GrangeSligo · 7 schools | 292 47% | 0% | 24% | 21% | +21 | |
| KinsaleCork · 8 schools | 641 49% | 9% | 24% | 30% | +21 | |
| Passage WestCork · 3 schools | 279 34% | 0% | 14% | 21% | +21 | |
| BridgetownWexford · 8 schools | 629 45% | 0% | 17% | 20% | +20 | |
| GraignamanaghCarlow · Kilkenny · 4 schools | 149 45% | 0% | 19% | 20% | +20 | |
| KilternanDublin · 3 schools | 395 44% | 0% | 21% | 20% | +20 | |
| ShannonClare · 14 schools | 871 40% | 3% | 14% | 22% | +19 | |
| BantryCork · 14 schools | 349 40% | 11% | 19% | 29% | +18 | |
| CastlegregoryKerry · 3 schools | 120 46% | 18% | 53% | 36% | +18 | |
| KilfinaneLimerick · 4 schools | 206 60% | 0% | 20% | 18% | +18 | |
| KilmacthomasWaterford · 8 schools | 369 52% | 0% | 15% | 18% | +18 | |
| RathfarnhamDublin · 11 schools | 1,723 46% | 6% | 20% | 24% | +18 | |
| BlarneyCork · 8 schools | 765 40% | 9% | 23% | 26% | +17 | |
| SkibereenCork · 18 schools | 498 47% | 6% | 17% | 23% | +17 | |
| Spiddal–Inverin GaeltachtGalway · 6 schools | 539 61% | 45% | 51% | 62% | +17 | |
| BandonCork · 15 schools | 862 41% | 6% | 21% | 22% | +16 | |
| Ballybrack–Shankill–DLRDublin · 5 schools | 512 39% | 11% | 21% | 26% | +15 | |
| DunboyneMeath · 5 schools | 429 40% | 25% | 27% | 39% | +14 | |
| CobhCork · 7 schools | 563 38% | 3% | 14% | 16% | +13 | |
| BorrisokaneTipperary · 6 schools | 204 39% | 0% | 15% | 10% | +10 | |
| Malahide–NevinstownDublin · 5 schools | 1,083 43% | 16% | 21% | 24% | +8 | |
| Ballintemple–CorkCityCork · 11 schools | 1,034 40% | 18% | 19% | 23% | +5 | |
| Dingle GaeltachtKerry · 11 schools | 298 52% | 86% | 82% | 79% | −7 | |
| Ballingeary GaeltachtCork · 3 schools | 52 38% | 55% | 44% | 45% | −10 | |
| Ros Dumhach GaeltachtMayo · 2 schools | 20 46% | 100% | 69% | 86% | −14 | |
| Carrick GaeltachtDonegal · 4 schools | 69 35% | 100% | 63% | 56% | −44 |
No planning areas match that filter.
Ahead of places: the share of parents of children not yet at school who would prefer teaching through Irish, less the share of the area's pupils in such schools now, in percentage points. Below zero, fewer parents would prefer it than the area has pupils in such schools.
Grey: fewer than 60 households with children not yet at school answered in that area, so a handful of answers moves the figure a long way.
Source: Department of Education and Youth, Primary School Survey results, published 23 June 2026. The Department's own results: All 314 areas (Excel) (opens in a new tab) · Interactive map (opens in a new tab) · Summary report with county figures (PDF) (opens in a new tab)