Planning area in Offaly
Birr
Schools in County Offaly in this planning area.
This planning area also covers 3 schools in Tipperary. See the whole planning area
- Schools
- 9
- of 67 in Offaly
- Pupils
- 1,165
- 13% of Offaly's pupils
- Since 2015/16
- +3.2%
- 1,129 pupils in 2015/16
- Average school size
- 129.4
- Offaly: 138.7
- Average class size
- 21.84
- Offaly: 20.89
Trends in Birr
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 Offaly, schools with no planning area had 0.0% of pupils in 2015/16, 5.1% in 2005/06 and 14.6% in 1975/76. Known data issues
Pupils
1,165
−16 on 2024/25
Schools
9
8 in 1975/76
Average pupils per school
129.4
174.5 in 1975/76
Average class size
21.84
−0.76 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. 133 in 2025/26, −10 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). 45 pupils in 2025/26, 3.9% of the area's pupils, against 1.9% 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.
8 schools with figures for both years
Schools still filling their classes in 2015/16, and schools opened since, are listed separately.
Sort the table below by the change column to see which schools grew or fell most.
Newer schools
1 school still filling its classes in 2015/16 or opened since, with 45 pupils. It isn’t in the figures above.
- Gaelscoil na LaochraBirr · opened 2015/16 45
Class sizes
Mainstream class groups only. The source does not identify which standard/year group each class group belongs to.
- Average class size
- 21.84
- Mainstream classes
- 51
- Classes of 30 or more
- 6
- Schools with a class of 30+
- 2
Teachers
Teachers in the 9 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
- 51
- Up 6 since 2006/07, while pupils rose 4%
- Teaching posts in 2025/26
- about 85
- Estimate: 51 class teachers, 3 principals and deputies, 23 special education and 8 special class teachers
- Teachers in 2015/16
- 70
- The Department's last count of every teacher
- Since 2024/25
- 1 / 0
- 1 school gained a class teacher, 0 lost one
Class teachers since 2006/07
One for each mainstream class, every school year
Special schools and special classes
0 special schools in Birr, and the special classes in the 9 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
- 8
- In 6 of 9 schools. 6 in 2020/21
- Allocated for 2026/27
- 10
- In 6 schools: 2 new classes
- Autism classes
- 7
- 88% of special classes
Special classes since 2020/21
In Birr's mainstream schools, from the NCSE's yearly lists
- 2020/21 6
- 2021/22 7
- 2022/23 7
- 2023/24 8
- 2024/25 8
- 2025/26 8
- 2026/27 10
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
9 schools, largest first.
Select a column heading to sort
| Roll number | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Croinchoill N SBirr | 18267Q | 243 |
−0.8%
+19.1%
+32.1%
|
8 | 29.75 | 33 | 5 |
| St Brendans MonasteryBirr | 12370C | 178 |
−4.3%
−18.7%
−12.7%
|
9 | 17.33 | 24 | 0 |
| S N Naomh EoinBirr | 02413L | 148 |
+14.7%
+35.8%
+29.8%
|
6 | 24.67 | 35 | 1 |
| Mercy Primary SchoolBirr | 03220F | 141 |
−1.4%
−18.5%
−37.1%
|
8 | 16.88 | 21 | 0 |
| Ceann Eitigh N SBirr | 16802C | 132 |
+10.9%
+14.8%
+45.1%
|
6 | 22.00 | 27 | 0 |
| Shinrone Mixed N SBirr | 12343W | 121 |
+7.1%
−14.8%
−1.6%
|
5 | 23.00 | 27 | 0 |
| S N OsmannBirr | 07949I | 86 |
+6.2%
−1.1%
+19.4%
|
4 | 21.50 | 22 | 0 |
| Seir Kierans N SBirr | 11203B | 71 |
+14.5%
+20.3%
−13.4%
|
3 | 21.67 | 25 | 0 |
| Gaelscoil na LaochraBirr | 20461B | 45 |
+40.6%
+114.3%
– |
2 | 19.50 | 21 | 0 |
No schools match that filter.