School planning area

Birr

Name: Primary school enrolment in the Birr planning area
Creator: Department of Education

12 primary schools and 1,436 pupils in 2025/26, in Counties Offaly and Tipperary.

Pupils in 2025/26: 1,436; −1 on 2024/25
Since 2015/16: +3.0%; 1,394 pupils in 2015/16
Schools: 12; No change on 2024/25
Average class size: 21.90; Average school size: 119.7

By county

This planning area crosses county lines. Select a county to see its part of the area.

Change over


Offaly	9	1,165	+3.2%
Tipperary	3	271	+2.3%

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.

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 Counties Offaly and Tipperary, schools with no planning area had 2.1% of pupils in 2015/16, 6.3% in 2005/06 and 14.6% in 1975/76. Known data issues

Pupils

1,436

−1 on 2024/25

1975/762025/26

Schools

8 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average pupils per school

119.7

174.5 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average class size

21.90

−0.72 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. 167 in 2025/26, −15 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, 3.1% of the area's pupils, against 1.5% 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.

Every school's change

11 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

1within 10%

5grew by 10% or more

Down 25% or more · 0Down 10 to 25% · 5Within 10% · 1Up 10 to 25% · 3Up 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 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: 21.90
Mainstream classes: 63
Classes of 30 or more: 7
Schools with a class of 30+: 3

Teachers

Teachers in the 12 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: 63; Up 7 since 2006/07, while pupils rose 6%
Teaching posts in 2025/26: about 102; Estimate: 63 class teachers, 3 principals and deputies, 27 special education and 9 special class teachers
Teachers in 2015/16: 85; The Department's last count of every teacher
Since 2024/25: 2 / 0; 2 schools 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 Birr planning area, and the special classes in the 12 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: 9; In 7 of 12 schools. 7 in 2020/21
Allocated for 2026/27: 11; In 7 schools: 2 new classes
Autism classes: 8; 89% of special classes

Special classes since 2020/21

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

2020/21 7
2021/22 8
2022/23 8
2023/24 9
2024/25 9
2025/26 9
2026/27 11

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

12 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
Croinchoill N SBirr	18267Q	Offaly	243	+19.1%	8	29.75	33	5
St Brendans MonasteryBirr	12370C	Offaly	178	−18.7%	9	17.33	24	0
S N Naomh EoinBirr	02413L	Offaly	148	+35.8%	6	24.67	35	1
Mercy Primary SchoolBirr	03220F	Offaly	141	−18.5%	8	16.88	21	0
S N an CillinBirr	17179O	Tipperary	140	+32.1%	6	23.33	32	1
Ceann Eitigh N SBirr	16802C	Offaly	132	+14.8%	6	22.00	27	0
Shinrone Mixed N SBirr	12343W	Offaly	121	−14.8%	5	23.00	27	0
S N OsmannBirr	07949I	Offaly	86	−1.1%	4	21.50	22	0
S N Flannain NaofaRoscrea	17512V	Tipperary	71	−14.5%	3	23.67	26	0
Seir Kierans N SBirr	11203B	Offaly	71	+20.3%	3	21.67	25	0
Carrig N SBirr	16166A	Tipperary	60	−21.1%	3	18.33	21	0
Gaelscoil na LaochraBirr	20461B	Offaly	45	+114.3%	2	19.50	21	0