Planning area in Galway
Athenry
Schools in County Galway in this planning area.
- Schools
- 17
- of 217 in Galway
- Pupils
- 3,069
- 10% of Galway's pupils
- Since 2015/16
- −3.1%
- 3,167 pupils in 2015/16
- Average school size
- 180.5
- Galway: 135.5
- Average class size
- 23.43
- Galway: 21.46
Trends in Athenry
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.
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 Galway, schools with no planning area had 4.9% of pupils in 2015/16, 9.0% in 2005/06 and 34.0% in 1975/76. Known data issues
Pupils
3,069
−52 on 2024/25
Schools
17
13 in 1975/76
Average pupils per school
180.5
94.8 in 1975/76
Average class size
23.43
+0.23 on 2024/25
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. 320 in 2025/26, −24 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). 158 pupils in 2025/26, 5.1% of the area's pupils, against 8.4% 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.
16 schools with figures for both years
Schools still filling their classes in 2015/16, and schools opened since, are listed separately.
Grown most
Pupils in 2015/16 and 2025/26
- 1 SN Muine MheaAthenry, Co. Galway 153 → 251 +64.1%
- 2 Togala MhuireKiltullagh, Co. Galway 123 → 198 +61.0%
- 3 Annagh Hill NSTuam, Co. Galway 94 → 105 +11.7%
- 4 St Oliver Plunketts NSAthenry, Co. Galway 182 → 199 +9.3%
- 5 S N BhrideTurloughmore, Co. Galway 220 → 229 +4.1%
Fallen most
Pupils in 2015/16 and 2025/26
- 1 Gaelscoil RiadaBaile Átha an Rí, Co. Galway 265 → 158 −40.4%
- 2 Esker N SAthenry, Co. Galway 106 → 65 −38.7%
- 3 S N Naomh UinseannAthenry, Co. Galway 96 → 67 −30.2%
- 4 Crumlin N SBallyglunin, Co. Galway 124 → 95 −23.4%
- 5 Gurteen Central NSBallinasloe, Co. Galway 63 → 49 −22.2%
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 or a new school nearby can also explain a big rise or fall.
Newer schools
1 school still filling its classes in 2015/16 or opened since, with 501 pupils. It isn’t in the figures above.
- Athenry Primary SchoolAthenry · figures start 2024/25 501
Class sizes
Mainstream class groups only. The source does not identify which standard/year group each class group belongs to.
- Average class size
- 23.43
- Mainstream classes
- 130
- Classes of 30 or more
- 9
- Schools with a class of 30+
- 7
Teachers
Teachers in the 17 mainstream primary schools here, 2006/07 to 2025/26. Class teachers are counted every year; all teaching posts where they're known.
- Class teachers in 2025/26
- 130
- Up 50 since 2006/07, while pupils rose 52%
- Teaching posts in 2025/26
- about 201
- Estimate: 130 class teachers, 9 principals and deputies, 58 special education and 4 special class teachers
- Teachers in 2015/16
- 180
- The Department's last count of every teacher
- Since 2024/25
- 1 / 5
- 1 school gained a class teacher, 5 lost one
Class teachers since 2006/07
One for each mainstream class, every school year
Special schools and special classes
0 special schools in Athenry, and the special classes in the 17 mainstream schools. Special schools aren't counted in the pupils, class sizes or teachers above.
- Pupils in special schools
- 0
- No special school here
- Special classes in 2025/26
- 4
- In 3 of 17 schools. 1 in 2021/22
- Allocated for 2026/27
- 7
- In 6 schools: 3 new classes, 3 schools with their first
- Autism classes
- 4
- 100% of special classes
Special classes since 2021/22
In Athenry's mainstream schools, from the NCSE's yearly lists
- 2021/22 1
- 2022/23 1
- 2023/24 2
- 2024/25 3
- 2025/26 4
- 2026/27 7
2026/27, dashed: allocated for next year.
Sources: Department of Education enrolment lists; NCSE special class lists and special school allocations (CC BY 4.0).
Schools
17 schools, largest first.
Select a column heading to sort
| Roll number | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athenry Primary SchoolAthenry | 20582N | 501 | ––– | 21 | 23.57 | 29 | 0 |
| S N CreachmhaoilCraughwell | 05754G | 318 |
−6.5%
−6.7%
+42.6%
|
13 | 23.54 | 27 | 0 |
| SN Muine MheaAthenry | 18746F | 251 |
+14.1%
+64.1%
+88.7%
|
10 | 24.60 | 35 | 1 |
| S N BhrideTurloughmore | 12954F | 229 |
−6.9%
+4.1%
+118.1%
|
9 | 25.44 | 33 | 2 |
| S N MhuireOranmore | 17771W | 229 |
−1.7%
−3.0%
+76.2%
|
9 | 25.44 | 30 | 1 |
| S N Naomh PadraigClaregalway | 16936A | 221 |
−3.9%
−15.0%
+16.3%
|
10 | 22.10 | 31 | 2 |
| St Oliver Plunketts NSAthenry | 19449E | 199 |
+3.6%
+9.3%
+84.3%
|
8 | 24.88 | 28 | 0 |
| Togala MhuireKiltullagh | 18097R | 198 |
+25.3%
+61.0%
+224.6%
|
8 | 24.75 | 29 | 0 |
| S N CillininGalway | 18268S | 195 |
−8.0%
−16.7%
+26.6%
|
8 | 24.38 | 31 | 1 |
| Gaelscoil RiadaBaile Átha an Rí | 20237T | 158 |
−37.5%
−40.4%
– |
7 | 22.57 | 27 | 0 |
| Annagh Hill NSTuam | 20448J | 105 |
+4.0%
+11.7%
– |
5 | 21.00 | 29 | 0 |
| S N na Fuar CoilleadhCraughwell | 17051L | 100 |
+3.1%
+2.0%
+22.0%
|
4 | 25.00 | 28 | 0 |
| Crumlin N SBallyglunin | 12606F | 95 |
−24.0%
−23.4%
+33.8%
|
4 | 23.75 | 26 | 0 |
| Carnain N.S.Athenry | 14031N | 89 |
−23.3%
−15.2%
+78.0%
|
4 | 22.25 | 30 | 1 |
| S N Naomh UinseannAthenry | 16857E | 67 |
−21.2%
−30.2%
−23.0%
|
4 | 16.75 | 24 | 0 |
| Esker N SAthenry | 01000E | 65 |
−30.9%
−38.7%
−7.1%
|
3 | 21.67 | 35 | 1 |
| Gurteen Central NSBallinasloe | 19770H | 49 |
−22.2%
−22.2%
+44.1%
|
3 | 16.33 | 23 | 0 |
No schools match that filter.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| S N Baile Atha N RioghAthenry | 17280D | 2023/24 | 146 |
| Scoil Chroi NaofaAthenry | 16071M | 2023/24 | 350 |