School planning area

Cobh

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

7 primary schools and 1,490 pupils in 2025/26, in County Cork.

Pupils in 2025/26: 1,490; −51 on 2024/25
Since 2015/16: −21.8%; 1,906 pupils in 2015/16
Schools: 7; No change on 2024/25
Average class size: 22.84; Average school size: 212.9

Trends in Cobh

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 Cork, schools with no planning area had 3.2% of pupils in 2015/16, 8.7% in 2005/06 and 29.9% in 1975/76. Known data issues

Pupils

1,490

−51 on 2024/25

1975/762025/26

Schools

5 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average pupils per school

212.9

312.4 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average class size

22.84

−0.51 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. 153 in 2025/26, −11 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). 46 pupils in 2025/26, 3.1% of the area's pupils, against 9.5% 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

7 schools with figures for both years

5fell by 10% or more

2within 10%

0grew by 10% or more

Down 25% or more · 5Down 10 to 25% · 0Within 10% · 2Up 10 to 25% · 0Up 25% or more · 0

Sort the table below by the change column to see which schools grew or fell most.

Class sizes

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

Average class size: 22.84
Mainstream classes: 62
Classes of 30 or more: 8
Schools with a class of 30+: 3

Teachers

Teachers in the 7 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: 62; Up 4 since 2006/07, while pupils fell 4%
Teaching posts in 2025/26: about 113; Estimate: 62 class teachers, 5 principals and deputies, 33 special education and 13 special class teachers
Teachers in 2015/16: 104; The Department's last count of every teacher
Since 2024/25: 1 / 2; 1 school gained a class teacher, 2 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 Cobh planning area, and the special classes in the 7 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: 13; In 5 of 7 schools. 8 in 2020/21
Allocated for 2026/27: 15; In 5 schools: 2 new classes
Autism classes: 13; 100% of special classes

Special classes since 2020/21

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

2020/21 8
2021/22 8
2022/23 8
2023/24 10
2024/25 12
2025/26 13
2026/27 15

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

7 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
Bunscoil Rinn an ChabhlaighCobh	13450F	679	−8.4%	24	27.29	30	6
S N Seosamh CobhCobh	15718I	261	−27.5%	11	22.64	30	1
St Marys National SchoolCobh	16377N	248	−26.0%	11	21.18	32	1
Walterstown N SCobh	12281D	183	+4.6%	8	20.75	29	0
Ringaskiddy Lower Harbour N SRingaskiddy	20049S	58	−31.0%	3	17.33	25	0
Gaelscoile CobhCobh	19899M	46	−74.6%	3	15.33	20	0
Cobh N SCobh	10771K	15	−50.0%	2	7.50	8	0