Gaelscoil Bhreifne
An Cabhán · Roll number 20026G
- Multi Denominational ethos
- DEIS
- Ordinary with Special Classes
- All subjects through Irish
- Pupils in 2025/26
- 193
- −8 on 2024/25
- Over 10 years
- +436%
- Up 157 from 36 in 2015/16
- 2 classes in 2015/16, 8 now; average class 18.0 → 22.6
- Over 20 years: +119% from 88 in 2005/06
- Girls and boys
- 94 / 99
- 49% girls
Pupils since 1995
Total enrolment each school year
Shaded: the last 10 years, 2015/16 to 2025/26.
Pupils by class
Published for each class from 2020/21.
This year, 2025/26
193 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 | 14 | 21 | 20 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 23.5 |
| Senior Infants | 24 | 17 | 23 | 24 | 28 | 29 | 24.2 |
| 1st Class | 21 | 25 | 17 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 22.7 |
| 2nd Class | 19 | 24 | 23 | 18 | 24 | 24 | 22.0 |
| 3rd Class | 3 | 22 | 23 | 25 | 19 | 23 | 19.2 |
| 4th Class | 9 | 1 | 23 | 25 | 24 | 18 | 16.7 |
| 5th Class | 4 | 9 | 3 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 13.8 |
| 6th Class | 8 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 19 | 23 | 10.7 |
JI and SI are Junior and Senior Infants.
Started Junior Infants in 2024/25
29 in Junior Infants (2024/25), 29 in Senior Infants (2025/26): no change.
- 29Junior Infants2024/25
- 29Senior Infants2025/26
Started Junior Infants in 2023/24
28 in Junior Infants (2023/24), 25 in 1st Class (2025/26): 3 pupils fewer.
- 28Junior Infants2023/24
- 28Senior Infants2024/25
- 251st Class2025/26
Started Junior Infants in 2022/23
20 in Junior Infants (2022/23), 24 in 2nd Class (2025/26): 4 pupils more.
- 20Junior Infants2022/23
- 24Senior Infants2023/24
- 231st Class2024/25
- 242nd Class2025/26
Started Junior Infants in 2021/22
21 in Junior Infants (2021/22), 23 in 3rd Class (2025/26): 2 pupils more.
- 21Junior Infants2021/22
- 23Senior Infants2022/23
- 251st Class2023/24
- 242nd Class2024/25
- 233rd Class2025/26
Started Junior Infants in 2020/21
14 in Junior Infants (2020/21), 18 in 4th Class (2025/26): 4 pupils more.
- 14Junior Infants2020/21
- 17Senior Infants2021/22
- 171st Class2022/23
- 182nd Class2023/24
- 193rd Class2024/25
- 184th Class2025/26
In Senior Infants in 2020/21
24 in Senior Infants (2020/21), 22 in 5th Class (2025/26): 2 pupils fewer.
- 24Senior Infants2020/21
- 251st Class2021/22
- 232nd Class2022/23
- 253rd Class2023/24
- 244th Class2024/25
- 225th Class2025/26
In 1st Class in 2020/21
21 in 1st Class (2020/21), 23 in 6th Class (2025/26): 2 pupils more.
- 211st Class2020/21
- 242nd Class2021/22
- 233rd Class2022/23
- 254th Class2023/24
- 235th Class2024/25
- 236th Class2025/26
In 2nd Class in 2020/21
19 in 2nd Class (2020/21), 19 in 6th Class (2024/25): no change.
- 192nd Class2020/21
- 223rd Class2021/22
- 234th Class2022/23
- 225th Class2023/24
- 196th Class2024/25
In 3rd Class in 2020/21
3 in 3rd Class (2020/21), 4 in 6th Class (2023/24): 1 pupil more.
- 33rd Class2020/21
- 14th Class2021/22
- 35th Class2022/23
- 46th Class2023/24
In 4th Class in 2020/21
9 in 4th Class (2020/21), 8 in 6th Class (2022/23): 1 pupil fewer.
- 94th Class2020/21
- 95th Class2021/22
- 86th Class2022/23
In 5th Class in 2020/21
4 in 5th Class (2020/21), 2 in 6th Class (2021/22): 2 pupils fewer.
- 45th Class2020/21
- 26th Class2021/22
Biggest one-year changes in a class
- +224th Class in 2022/23 (1 to 23)
- −84th Class in 2021/22 (9 to 1)
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 Gaelscoil Bhreifne, 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
13.4teaching posts
Our estimate: about 13 teachers.
- Class teachersOne for each of the 8 mainstream classes 8
- PrincipalRuns the school and doesn't teach a class 1
- Special education teachers60 hours of support teaching a week 2.4
- Special class teachersFor 2 autism classes 2
6.66 special needs assistants (SNAs) also work with pupils. 12 pupils are in special classes, which the class sizes leave out.
The NCSE has allocated 2.9 special education teachers, 2 special class teachers and 7.66 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 Gaelscoil Bhreifne, measured in a straight line. Pupil numbers are for 2025/26.
| Number on map | School | Distance | Pupils | Since 2015/16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaelscoil BhreifneThis school | – | 193 |
+436.1%
|
|
| 1 | St Clares Primary School0.1 km · Cavan · DEIS | 0.1 km | 548 |
+4.8%
|
| 2 | Cavan 1 N S0.6 km · Cavan · Church of Ireland | 0.6 km | 102 |
+25.9%
|
| 3 | SN Naomh Feidhlim Boys SNR SCH0.6 km · Cavan · DEIS | 0.6 km | 265 |
+16.2%
|
| 4 | S N Drom Cnamh2.1 km · Drumcrave | 2.1 km | 47 |
−7.8%
|
| 5 | Dromaili S N2.2 km · Cavan | 2.2 km | 213 |
−12.7%
|
| 6 | Killygarry N S3.3 km · Killygarry | 3.3 km | 198 |
−4.8%
|
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: 49 of 141 households answered (35%). The true figures are likely within 11.4 points either way.
Patron
Teaching language
Boys and girls
Children not yet at school
Their parents: 32 who intend to enrol a child here answered. The Department gives no margin of error for this group.
Patron
Teaching language
Boys and girls
The bracket shows the margin of error the Department published for this school: 11.4 points either way.
| Parents of | Multi-denominational | Through Irish | Single-sex |
|---|---|---|---|
| This school · children at school | 69% | 80% | 2% |
| This school · children not yet at school | 72% | 100% | 3% |
| Cavan planning area · children at school | 41% | 17% | 4% |
| Cavan planning area · children not yet at school | 39% | 23% | 6% |
| 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
- Niamh Ní Cheallaigh
- Phone
- 0494890049
- [email protected]
- Address
- Cnoc an Choiligh, An Cabhán, Co an Chabháin, H12 TD54
School
- Ethos
- Multi Denominational
- Patron
- An Foras Pátrúnachta
- School type
- Ordinary with Special Classes
- School level
- All Through
- DEIS
- DEIS
Language and area
- Irish classification
- All subjects through Irish
- Gaeltacht
- Non-Gaeltacht
- Island
- Not on an island
- Local authority
- Cavan County Council
- Planning area
- Cavan
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
31 school years from 1995/96 to 2025/26. Class figures start in 2020/21.
| Year | Total | Girls | Boys | JI | SI | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | 193 | 94 | 99 | 29 | 29 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 18 | 22 | 23 |
| 2024/25 | 201 | 98 | 103 | 29 | 28 | 23 | 24 | 19 | 24 | 23 | 19 |
| 2023/24 | 183 | 92 | 91 | 28 | 24 | 25 | 18 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 4 |
| 2022/23 | 152 | 69 | 83 | 20 | 23 | 17 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 3 | 8 |
| 2021/22 | 132 | 60 | 72 | 21 | 17 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 1 | 9 | 2 |
| 2020/21 | 102 | 46 | 56 | 14 | 24 | 21 | 19 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 8 |
| 2019/20 | 103 | 54 | 49 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2018/19 | 73 | 36 | 37 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2017/18 | 30 | 14 | 16 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2016/17 | 32 | 14 | 18 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2015/16 | 36 | 12 | 24 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2014/15 | 27 | 9 | 18 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2013/14 | 28 | 10 | 18 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2012/13 | 32 | 13 | 19 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2011/12 | 39 | 19 | 20 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2010/11 | 40 | 15 | 25 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2009/10 | 53 | 19 | 34 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2008/09 | 59 | 22 | 37 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2007/08 | 77 | 32 | 45 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2006/07 | 74 | 29 | 45 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2005/06 | 88 | 31 | 57 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2004/05 | 122 | 55 | 67 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2003/04 | 115 | 52 | 63 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2002/03 | 114 | 54 | 60 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2001/02 | 100 | 50 | 50 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2000/01 | 94 | 45 | 49 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1999/00 | 82 | 40 | 42 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1998/99 | 72 | 34 | 38 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1997/98 | 47 | 27 | 20 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1996/97 | 36 | 19 | 17 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1995/96 | 20 | 9 | 11 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |