School planning area

Drogheda

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

26 primary schools and 8,513 pupils in 2025/26, in Counties Louth and Meath.

Pupils in 2025/26: 8,513; −112 on 2024/25
Since 2015/16: +0.5%; 8,468 pupils in 2015/16
Schools: 26; No change on 2024/25
Average class size: 22.31; Average school size: 327.4

By county

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

Change over


Louth	17	6,263	+5.0%
Meath	9	2,250	−10.0%

Trends in Drogheda

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 Louth and Meath, schools with no planning area had 1.5% of pupils in 2015/16, 6.4% in 2005/06 and 17.6% in 1975/76. Known data issues

Pupils

8,513

−112 on 2024/25

1975/762025/26

Schools

18 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average pupils per school

327.4

205.6 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average class size

22.31

+0.03 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. 877 in 2025/26, −65 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 (2 schools today). 530 pupils in 2025/26, 6.2% of the area's pupils, against 7.7% 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

24 schools with figures for both years

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

11fell by 10% or more

11within 10%

2grew by 10% or more

Down 25% or more · 3Down 10 to 25% · 8Within 10% · 11Up 10 to 25% · 2Up 25% or more · 0

Grown most

Pupils in 2015/16 and 2025/26

1 Presentation ConventDrogheda, Co. Louth 321 → 385 +19.9%
2 S N Naomh TreasaDrogheda, Co. Meath 93 → 105 +12.9%
3 S N Ard Mhuire CDrogheda, Co. Louth 294 → 315 +7.1%
4 St Pauls Senior NSDrogheda, Co. Louth 441 → 466 +5.7%
5 Scoil Náisíunta Naomh FeichínDrogheda, Co. Louth 295 → 307 +4.1%

Fallen most

Pupils in 2015/16 and 2025/26

1 Scoil Naomh PioBeauparc, Co. Meath 90 → 59 −34.4%
2 S N AonghusaDroichead Atha, Co. Louth 211 → 147 −30.3%
3 S N Dun UabhairDrogheda, Co. Meath 225 → 166 −26.2%
4 S N Muire gan SmalDrogheda, Co. Louth 254 → 201 −20.9%
5 Callystown Mixed N SClogherhead, Co. Louth 319 → 261 −18.2%

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

2 schools still filling their classes in 2015/16 or opened since, with 928 pupils between them. They aren’t in the figures above.

St Brigid's and St Patrick's National SchoolDrogheda · figures start 2018/19 575
Scoil Oilibhéir NaofaDrogheda · opened 2010/11 353

Class sizes

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

Average class size: 22.31
Mainstream classes: 372
Classes of 30 or more: 8
Schools with a class of 30+: 6

Teachers

Teachers in the 26 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: 372; Up 186 since 2006/07, while pupils rose 73%
Teaching posts in 2025/26: about 578; Estimate: 372 class teachers, 24 principals and deputies, 146 special education and 36 special class teachers
Teachers in 2015/16: 474; The Department's last count of every teacher
Since 2024/25: 1 / 7; 1 school gained a class teacher, 7 lost one

Class teachers since 2006/07

One for each mainstream class, every school year

Special schools and special classes

2 special schools in the Drogheda planning area, and the special classes in its 26 mainstream schools. Special schools aren't counted in the pupils, class sizes or teachers above.

All special schools

Pupils in special schools: 238; In 2 schools, up from 164 in 2015/16
Special classes in 2025/26: 36; In 19 of 26 schools. 20 in 2020/21
Allocated for 2026/27: 41; In 20 schools: 5 new classes, 1 school with its first
Autism classes: 33; 92% of special classes

Special classes since 2020/21

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

2020/21 20
2021/22 22
2022/23 26
2023/24 30
2024/25 31
2025/26 36
2026/27 41

2026/27, dashed: allocated for next year.

Special schools in the Drogheda planning area
Special school	Pupils	Since 2015/16	Teaching posts	SNAs
St Itas Special SchoolDrogheda · Mild general learning disability	207	+54.5%	27	30
ABACAS SchoolDrogheda · Autism	31	+3.3%	7	23

Sources: Department of Education enrolment lists; NCSE special class lists and special school allocations (CC BY 4.0).

Schools

26 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
St Marys Parish Primary SchoolDrogheda	20205G	Louth	967	−11.0%	40	24.18	27	0
St Brigid's and St Patrick's National SchoolDrogheda	20508B	Louth	575	–	25	22.76	26	0
St Pauls Senior NSDrogheda	19678T	Louth	466	+5.7%	20	22.75	25	0
S N Tulach AluinnTullyallen	17726R	Louth	411	−9.5%	17	23.12	28	0
Presentation ConventDrogheda	00851C	Louth	385	+19.9%	17	22.65	29	0
Gaelscoil an Bhradáin FeasaDroichead Átha	20258E	Meath	383	−13.3%	16	23.31	29	0
Le Cheile Educate Together NSDrogheda	20146Q	Louth	383	−12.6%	16	23.94	27	0
Aston Village Educate Together National SchoolDrogheda	20294I	Louth	375	+0.8%	16	21.56	24	0
Rathmullan N SDrogheda	19479N	Louth	373	−12.4%	22	16.64	19	0
S N Realt na Mara (B)Mornington	18762D	Meath	373	−15.8%	16	22.56	31	2
S N Realt na Mara (C)Donacarney	18767N	Meath	373	−12.4%	16	22.56	32	2
Scoil na mBraithre SnDrogheda	17059E	Louth	359	+4.1%	16	22.06	24	0
Scoil Oilibhéir NaofaDrogheda	20349H	Louth	353	+8.3%	15	22.73	28	0
S N Bheinin Naofa CDuleek	17840P	Meath	343	+3.3%	14	23.64	29	0
S N Bheinn Naofa BDuleek	17839H	Meath	339	−1.7%	14	23.36	30	1
S N Ard Mhuire CDrogheda	19215C	Louth	315	+7.1%	16	19.31	22	0
Scoil Náisíunta Naomh FeichínDrogheda	16208N	Louth	307	+4.1%	13	22.69	27	0
Naomh SeosamhDrogheda	18069M	Louth	293	+0.3%	12	24.42	30	1
Callystown Mixed N SClogherhead	14252G	Louth	261	−18.2%	10	25.10	35	1
S N Muire gan SmalDrogheda	18045V	Louth	201	−20.9%	9	21.00	27	0
S N Dun UabhairDrogheda	17856H	Meath	166	−26.2%	8	19.25	26	0
S N AonghusaDroichead Atha	19740V	Louth	147	−30.3%	8	18.38	21	0
S N Naomh ColmcilleDuleek	18500T	Meath	109	+3.8%	5	21.80	29	0
S N Naomh TreasaDrogheda	18413B	Meath	105	+12.9%	4	26.25	30	1
S N Naomh PeadarDrogheda	11072M	Louth	92	−1.1%	4	21.50	24	0
Scoil Naomh PioBeauparc	16549Q	Meath	59	−34.4%	3	17.67	21	0