S N Beal Caradh
Castlebar · Roll number 17585C
- Catholic ethos
- Not DEIS
- Pupils in 2025/26
- 109
- +3 on 2024/25
- Over 10 years
- −23%
- Down 33 from 142 in 2015/16
- 6 classes in 2015/16, 5 now; average class 23.7 → 21.8
- Over 20 years: +51% from 72 in 2005/06
- Girls and boys
- 49 / 60
- 45% girls
Pupils since 1974
Total enrolment each school year
Shaded: the last 10 years, 2015/16 to 2025/26. 1983/84 is left out because its source file is incomplete, and no files exist for 1984/85 to 1992/93. Known data issues
Pupils by class
Published for each class from 2020/21.
This year, 2025/26
109 pupils across 8 classes
Every class, every year
Darker cells have more pupils. A group of pupils moves down one class and right one year.
| 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | 2025/26 | Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior Infants | 10 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 8 | 10.0 |
| Senior Infants | 15 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 11.7 |
| 1st Class | 14 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 12.8 |
| 2nd Class | 15 | 14 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 14.5 |
| 3rd Class | 15 | 15 | 15 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 15.2 |
| 4th Class | 14 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 19 | 13 | 15.5 |
| 5th Class | 20 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 21 | 16.8 |
| 6th Class | 12 | 20 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 15.8 |
JI and SI are Junior and Senior Infants.
Started Junior Infants in 2024/25
12 in Junior Infants (2024/25), 12 in Senior Infants (2025/26): no change.
- 12Junior Infants2024/25
- 12Senior Infants2025/26
Started Junior Infants in 2023/24
9 in Junior Infants (2023/24), 11 in 1st Class (2025/26): 2 pupils more.
- 9Junior Infants2023/24
- 10Senior Infants2024/25
- 111st Class2025/26
Started Junior Infants in 2022/23
9 in Junior Infants (2022/23), 12 in 2nd Class (2025/26): 3 pupils more.
- 9Junior Infants2022/23
- 10Senior Infants2023/24
- 101st Class2024/25
- 122nd Class2025/26
Started Junior Infants in 2021/22
12 in Junior Infants (2021/22), 14 in 3rd Class (2025/26): 2 pupils more.
- 12Junior Infants2021/22
- 13Senior Infants2022/23
- 131st Class2023/24
- 132nd Class2024/25
- 143rd Class2025/26
Started Junior Infants in 2020/21
10 in Junior Infants (2020/21), 13 in 4th Class (2025/26): 3 pupils more.
- 10Junior Infants2020/21
- 10Senior Infants2021/22
- 141st Class2022/23
- 142nd Class2023/24
- 133rd Class2024/25
- 134th Class2025/26
In Senior Infants in 2020/21
15 in Senior Infants (2020/21), 21 in 5th Class (2025/26): 6 pupils more.
- 15Senior Infants2020/21
- 151st Class2021/22
- 192nd Class2022/23
- 193rd Class2023/24
- 194th Class2024/25
- 215th Class2025/26
In 1st Class in 2020/21
14 in 1st Class (2020/21), 18 in 6th Class (2025/26): 4 pupils more.
- 141st Class2020/21
- 142nd Class2021/22
- 153rd Class2022/23
- 154th Class2023/24
- 145th Class2024/25
- 186th Class2025/26
In 2nd Class in 2020/21
15 in 2nd Class (2020/21), 15 in 6th Class (2024/25): no change.
- 152nd Class2020/21
- 153rd Class2021/22
- 174th Class2022/23
- 175th Class2023/24
- 156th Class2024/25
In 3rd Class in 2020/21
15 in 3rd Class (2020/21), 16 in 6th Class (2023/24): 1 pupil more.
- 153rd Class2020/21
- 154th Class2021/22
- 165th Class2022/23
- 166th Class2023/24
In 4th Class in 2020/21
14 in 4th Class (2020/21), 14 in 6th Class (2022/23): no change.
- 144th Class2020/21
- 135th Class2021/22
- 146th Class2022/23
In 5th Class in 2020/21
20 in 5th Class (2020/21), 20 in 6th Class (2021/22): no change.
- 205th Class2020/21
- 206th Class2021/22
Biggest one-year changes in a class
- +86th Class in 2021/22 (12 to 20)
- −75th Class in 2021/22 (20 to 13)
Class sizes
Mainstream class groups, 2006/07 to 2025/26.
Why these won't match pupils by class
Mainstream class groups only. The source does not identify which standard/year group each class group belongs to. So these figures won't match the pupils-by-class figures exactly.
In 2025/26. Choose a figure to chart it.
Class sizes over time
Average class size, 2006/07 to 2025/26
Teachers
Who teaches at S N Beal Caradh, 2006/07 to 2025/26.
How we count teachers
Class teachers come from the Department of Education's class sizes: one for each mainstream class. Special education and special class teachers are the posts the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) allocates. We add a principal who doesn't teach a class where the Department's rules give the school one. These are posts, not people: part of a post can be a teacher shared with another school. Up to 2015/16 the Department counted every teacher itself. Known data issues
In 2025/26
6.8teaching posts
Our estimate: about 7 teachers.
- Class teachersOne for each of the 5 mainstream classes 5
- PrincipalAlso teaches one of the classes, so is counted with the class teachers in a class
- Special education teachers45 hours of support teaching a week 1.8
2 special needs assistants (SNAs) also work with pupils.
The NCSE has allocated 1.9 special education teachers and 2 SNAs for next year.
Teachers since 2006/07
Teachers each school year, by role
To 2015/16: the Department of Education's count of every teacher. From 2019/20: our estimate, from class sizes and the NCSE's allocations. Dashed boxes: no special education figures were published for those years, so only class teachers and the principal are shown. Where there's no principal bar, the principal also taught a class. Known data issues
Sources: Department of Education class sizes and teacher counts; NCSE school allocations and special classes (CC BY 4.0).
Nearby schools
The 6 primary schools closest to S N Beal Caradh, measured in a straight line. Pupil numbers are for 2025/26.
| Number on map | School | Distance | Pupils | Since 2015/16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S N Beal CaradhThis school | – | 109 |
−23.2%
|
|
| 1 | S N Naomh Brid C3.2 km · Castlebar | 3.2 km | 21 |
−70.8%
|
| 2 | S N Fiondalbha3.8 km · Castlebar | 3.8 km | 37 |
−11.9%
|
| 3 | Breaffy N S4.9 km · Castlebar · DEIS | 4.9 km | 377 |
−12.9%
|
| 4 | Clogher NS5.1 km · Claremorris · DEIS | 5.1 km | 50 |
+61.3%
|
| 5 | Scoil Naisiunta Balla Aluinn5.8 km · Balla | 5.8 km | 202 |
+21.7%
|
| 6 | SN Beal Atha na hEin6.6 km · Castlebar | 6.6 km | 95 |
+30.1%
|
What parents would prefer
In the Department of Education and Youth's Primary School Survey (November–December 2025), parents said whether they would prefer this school to be co-educational or single-sex, to have a denominational or multi-denominational patron, and to teach through Irish or English. These are preferences, not applications or enrolments.
Children at this school
Their parents: 29 of 49 households answered (59%). The true figures are likely within 14.6 points either way.
Patron
Teaching language
Boys and girls
Children not yet at school
Fewer than 30 parents of children not yet at school chose this school, so the Department didn't publish their answers.
The bracket shows the margin of error the Department published for this school: 14.6 points either way.
| Parents of | Multi-denominational | Through Irish | Single-sex |
|---|---|---|---|
| This school · children at school | 31% | 28% | 0% |
| Balla planning area · children at school | 29% | 16% | 1% |
| Balla planning area · children not yet at school | 40% | 22% | 3% |
| Ireland · children at school | 44% | 20% | 5% |
| Ireland · children not yet at school | 47% | 26% | 6% |
Source: Department of Education and Youth, Primary School Survey results, published 23 June 2026. Planning-area and Ireland figures also count parents at schools where too few answered for the school to get its own results. About these figures
About this school
Inspection reports open on gov.ie, under the name the school had when it was inspected. They describe specific areas of the school's work rather than giving an overall grade. Newer schools may not have one yet.
Contact
- Principal
- Maureen Goggins
- Phone
- 0949032210
- [email protected]
- Address
- Belcarra, Castlebar, Co Mayo, F23 ET38
School
- Ethos
- Catholic
- Patron
- Archbishop of Tuam
- School type
- Ordinary
- School level
- All Through
- DEIS
- Not DEIS
Language and area
- Irish classification
- No subjects through Irish
- Gaeltacht
- Non-Gaeltacht
- Island
- Not on an island
- Local authority
- Mayo County Council
- Planning area
- Balla
Each detail is the latest one the Department of Education has recorded for this school. If a detail was left blank in 2025/26, we show it from an earlier year, so some details may be older than the pupil numbers. Known data issues
Data by year
43 school years from 1974/75 to 2025/26. Class figures start in 2020/21.
| Year | Total | Girls | Boys | JI | SI | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | 109 | 49 | 60 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 21 | 18 |
| 2024/25 | 106 | 42 | 64 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 19 | 14 | 15 |
| 2023/24 | 113 | 46 | 67 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 15 | 17 | 16 |
| 2022/23 | 117 | 50 | 67 | 9 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 14 |
| 2021/22 | 114 | 49 | 65 | 12 | 10 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 20 |
| 2020/21 | 115 | 53 | 62 | 10 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 20 | 12 |
| 2019/20 | 129 | 58 | 71 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2018/19 | 125 | 60 | 65 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2017/18 | 128 | 64 | 64 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2016/17 | 129 | 67 | 62 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2015/16 | 142 | 74 | 68 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2014/15 | 146 | 74 | 72 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2013/14 | 139 | 69 | 70 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2012/13 | 140 | 71 | 69 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2011/12 | 130 | 68 | 62 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2010/11 | 124 | 63 | 61 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2009/10 | 117 | 61 | 56 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2008/09 | 107 | 57 | 50 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2007/08 | 99 | 55 | 44 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2006/07 | 90 | 46 | 44 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2005/06 | 72 | 39 | 33 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2004/05 | 72 | 39 | 33 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2003/04 | 65 | 35 | 30 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2002/03 | 60 | 35 | 25 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2001/02 | 66 | 37 | 29 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2000/01 | 66 | 37 | 29 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1999/00 | 66 | 37 | 29 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1998/99 | 69 | 40 | 29 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1997/98 | 73 | 38 | 35 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1996/97 | 82 | 40 | 42 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1995/96 | 92 | 49 | 43 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1994/95 | 94 | 46 | 48 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1993/94 | 100 | 45 | 55 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1983/84 | 124 | 53 | 71 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1982/83 | 121 | 50 | 71 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1981/82 | 120 | 48 | 72 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1980/81 | 116 | 48 | 68 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1979/80 | 104 | 50 | 54 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1978/79 | 88 | 37 | 51 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1977/78 | 79 | 32 | 47 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1976/77 | 73 | 28 | 45 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1975/76 | 69 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1974/75 | 65 | 27 | 38 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |