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School planning area

Ballinakill

11 primary schools and 1,291 pupils in 2025/26, in County Laois.

Pupils in 2025/26
1,291
−12 on 2024/25
Since 2015/16
+7.0%
1,207 pupils in 2015/16
Schools
11
No change on 2024/25
Average class size
21.60
Average school size: 117.4

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.

Earlier years are incomplete

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 Laois, schools with no planning area had 13.7% of pupils in 2015/16, 18.2% in 2005/06 and 40.4% in 1975/76. Known data issues

Pupils

1,291

−12 on 2024/25

1975/762025/26

Schools

11

7 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average pupils per school

117.4

69.0 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average class size

21.60

−0.60 on 2024/25

2006/072025/26

Pupils in these schools

Junior infants, girls and boys, and Irish-medium schools over time, for the same schools as the trends above.

Area figures by year (CSV) Each school by year (CSV)

Junior infants

Pupils starting school each year. Class-by-class figures start in 2020/21. 131 in 2025/26, −19 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

No school in this area teaches all subjects through Irish.

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.

Every school's change

10 schools with figures for both years

Schools still filling their classes in 2015/16, and schools opened since, are listed separately.

5fell by 10% or more
2within 10%
3grew by 10% or more
Down 25% or more · 2Down 10 to 25% · 3Within 10% · 2Up 10 to 25% · 1Up 25% or more · 2

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 177 pupils. It isn’t in the figures above.

Class sizes

Mainstream class groups only. The source does not identify which standard/year group each class group belongs to.

Average class size
21.60
Mainstream classes
57
Classes of 30 or more
4
Schools with a class of 30+
2

Teachers

Teachers in the 11 mainstream primary schools here, 2006/07 to 2025/26. Class teachers are counted every year; all teaching posts where they're known.

How we count teachers
Class teachers in 2025/26
57
Up 16 since 2006/07, while pupils rose 28%
Teaching posts in 2025/26
about 92
Estimate: 57 class teachers, 4 principals and deputies, 21 special education and 10 special class teachers
Teachers in 2015/16
62
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 the Ballinakill planning area, and the special classes in the 11 mainstream schools. Special schools aren't counted in the pupils, class sizes or teachers above.

All special schools
Pupils in special schools
0
No special school here
Special classes in 2025/26
10
In 5 of 11 schools. 5 in 2020/21
Allocated for 2026/27
12
In 5 schools: 2 new classes
Autism classes
10
100% of special classes

Special classes since 2020/21

In the Ballinakill planning area's mainstream schools, from the NCSE's yearly lists

  • 2020/21 5
  • 2021/22 7
  • 2022/23 8
  • 2023/24 8
  • 2024/25 10
  • 2025/26 10
  • 2026/27 12

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

11 schools, largest first. A dash in the change column means the school had no pupils recorded in that year, usually because it opened later or took a new roll number after an amalgamation.

Change over

Select a column heading to sort

Roll number
Scoil MhuireAbbeyleix 19750B 269
−28.8%
11 22.27 31 1
Our Ladys Meadow National SchooDurrow 20065Q 192
−1.0%
8 22.50 29 0
Ballyroan Primary SchoolBallyroan 20485P 177 – 7 24.43 29 0
Tobar an LeinnAbbeyleix 16667W 167
+54.6%
6 25.83 32 3
Scoil Tíghearnach NaofaRathdowney 19791P 108
−9.2%
6 18.00 24 0
Ballinakill Mixed N SPortlaoise 00895W 98
+18.1%
4 24.50 29 0
Abbeyleix STH N SAbbeyleix 14260F 84
−14.3%
4 21.00 24 0
S N Fionntan NaofaPortlaoise 17489G 60
−29.4%
3 18.00 26 0
S N MolaiseAbbeyleix 17695J 58
−21.6%
3 19.33 23 0
Naomh Pius X N SPortlaoise 18433H 49
+53.1%
3 16.33 19 0
Scoil an Chroi Ro Naofavia Athy 18014K 29
−19.4%
2 14.50 17 0