St Bernadette Spec SCH
Letterkenny · Roll number 19592J
- Special school
- Mild general learning disability
- Catholic ethos
- Not DEIS
- Pupils in 2025/26
- 129
- +14 on 2024/25
- Over 10 years
- +82%
- Up 58 from 71 in 2015/16
- Over 20 years: +180% from 46 in 2005/06
- Girls and boys
- 42 / 87
- 33% girls
The Department of Education publishes only the number of pupils, girls and boys in each special school, not pupils by class, so this page has no class or class size figures. Pupils in special schools can be aged 4 to 18. All special schools
Pupils since 1993
Total enrolment each school year
Shaded: the last 10 years, 2015/16 to 2025/26. Until 2010/11 the Department listed special schools with mainstream schools; from 2011/12 they have their own list. Pupils on 30 September each year. Known data issues
Teachers
Teaching posts and special needs assistants (SNAs) at St Bernadette Spec SCH, 2018/19 to 2025/26.
Where these figures come from
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) allocates each special school its teaching posts and SNAs, and these are its figures as published each year. They're posts, not people: part of a post can be a teacher shared with another school. The NCSE published no figures for special schools for 2020/21 and 2021/22. From 2026/27 it lists a principal and deputy who don't teach a class separately; earlier files don't say how they're counted. Known data issues
In 2025/26
16teaching posts
The NCSE's allocation: about 8.1 pupils per teaching post.
- Teaching postsTeachers for the school's classes, allocated by the NCSE 16
26.5 special needs assistants (SNAs) also work with pupils.
The NCSE has allocated 17 teaching posts, a principal and a deputy principal who don't teach a class, and 29.5 SNAs for next year.
Teachers since 2018/19
Teaching posts each school year. Point at a bar for its SNAs.
Dashed boxes: the NCSE published no figures for special schools for those years. Known data issues
Source: NCSE special school allocations (CC BY 4.0).
Nearby
The special schools closest to St Bernadette Spec SCH, and the mainstream schools within 10 km that have special classes, measured in a straight line.
Nearest special schools
| Number on map | School | Distance | Pupils | Since 2015/16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Bernadette Spec SCHThis school | – | 129 |
+81.7%
|
|
| 1 | Little Angels Spec SCH1.5 km · Letterkenny, Co. Donegal · Moderate general learning disability | 1.5 km | 145 |
+54.3%
|
| 2 | St. Cecilia's School87.5 km · Sligo · Moderate general learning disability | 87.5 km | 93 |
+126.8%
|
| 3 | St Josephs Special SCH88.1 km · Sligo · Mild general learning disability | 88.1 km | 43 |
+7.5%
|
| 4 | Holy Family S S106.5 km · Cootehill, Co. Cavan · Moderate general learning disability | 106.5 km | 182 |
+16.7%
|
| 5 | Monaghan Community Special School114.2 km · Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan | 114.2 km | 18 | – |
Special classes within 10 km18 classes in 8 mainstream schools in 2025/26, from the NCSE
| Number on map | School | Distance | Classes | 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | S N Muire gan Smal0.6 km · An autism class | 0.6 km | 1 | 1 |
| 7 | Scoil Choilmcille0.7 km · 2 autism classes | 0.7 km | 2 | 2 |
| 8 | S N Baile Raighin2.4 km · An autism class | 2.4 km | 1 | 1 |
| 9 | Letterkenny Educate Together NS2.7 km · 3 autism classes2 new classes in 2026/27 | 2.7 km | 3 | 5 |
| 10 | St Patricks N S4.3 km · 2 autism classes | 4.3 km | 2 | 2 |
| 11 | S N Talamh na Coille5.3 km · 3 autism classes, 2 speech and language classes and an early intervention class | 5.3 km | 6 | 6 |
| 12 | Glenswilly N S6.8 km · An autism class | 6.8 km | 1 | 1 |
| 13 | S N Naomh Colmchille8.3 km · 2 autism classes | 8.3 km | 2 | 2 |
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: 20 of 108 households answered (18%). The true figures are likely within 17.3 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: 17.3 points either way.
| Parents of | Multi-denominational | Through Irish | Single-sex |
|---|---|---|---|
| This school · children at school | 40% | 5% | 0% |
| Letterkenny planning area · children at school | 34% | 25% | 4% |
| Letterkenny planning area · children not yet at school | 33% | 33% | 5% |
| 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. Newer schools may not have one yet.
Contact
- Principal
- John Haran
- Phone
- 0749122512
- [email protected]
- Address
- College Farm Road, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, F92 N289
School
- Ethos
- Catholic
- NCSE designation
- Mild general learning disability
- Patron
- Bishop of Raphoe
- School type
- Special school
- DEIS
- Not DEIS
Language and area
- Irish classification
- No subjects through Irish
- Gaeltacht
- Non-Gaeltacht
- Island
- Not on an island
- Local authority
- Donegal County Council
- Planning area
- Letterkenny
Each detail is the latest one the Department of Education has recorded for this school. The designation is the need the NCSE lists the school as set up for; many special schools now take pupils with a wider range of needs. Known data issues
Data by year
33 school years from 1993/94 to 2025/26.
| Year | Total | Girls | Boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | 129 | 42 | 87 |
| 2024/25 | 115 | 40 | 75 |
| 2023/24 | 113 | 43 | 70 |
| 2022/23 | 97 | 39 | 58 |
| 2021/22 | 79 | 35 | 44 |
| 2020/21 | 64 | 30 | 34 |
| 2019/20 | 64 | 27 | 37 |
| 2018/19 | 69 | 27 | 42 |
| 2017/18 | 71 | 28 | 43 |
| 2016/17 | 75 | 31 | 44 |
| 2015/16 | 71 | 27 | 44 |
| 2014/15 | 72 | 24 | 48 |
| 2013/14 | 71 | 22 | 49 |
| 2012/13 | 72 | 19 | 53 |
| 2011/12 | 73 | 21 | 52 |
| 2010/11 | 64 | 20 | 44 |
| 2009/10 | 58 | 19 | 39 |
| 2008/09 | 60 | 14 | 46 |
| 2007/08 | 52 | 11 | 41 |
| 2006/07 | 47 | 10 | 37 |
| 2005/06 | 46 | 9 | 37 |
| 2004/05 | 48 | 11 | 37 |
| 2003/04 | 50 | 13 | 37 |
| 2002/03 | 56 | 18 | 38 |
| 2001/02 | 56 | 21 | 35 |
| 2000/01 | 58 | 24 | 34 |
| 1999/00 | 60 | 24 | 36 |
| 1998/99 | 56 | 21 | 35 |
| 1997/98 | 59 | 22 | 37 |
| 1996/97 | 67 | 25 | 42 |
| 1995/96 | 64 | 27 | 37 |
| 1994/95 | 64 | 24 | 40 |
| 1993/94 | 69 | 24 | 45 |