School planning area

Ferbane

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

7 primary schools and 607 pupils in 2025/26, in Counties Offaly and Westmeath.

Pupils in 2025/26: 607; −8 on 2024/25
Since 2015/16: −1.8%; 618 pupils in 2015/16
Schools: 7; No change on 2024/25
Average class size: 21.41; Average school size: 86.7

By county

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

Change over


Offaly	6	511	−6.4%
Westmeath	1	96	+33.3%

Trends in Ferbane

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 Westmeath, schools with no planning area had 0.0% of pupils in 2015/16, 4.1% in 2005/06 and 14.6% in 1975/76. Known data issues

Pupils

607

−8 on 2024/25

1975/762025/26

Schools

5 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average pupils per school

86.7

78.4 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average class size

21.41

−0.29 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. 66 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

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

7 schools with figures for both years

2fell by 10% or more

4within 10%

1grew by 10% or more

Down 25% or more · 2Down 10 to 25% · 0Within 10% · 4Up 10 to 25% · 0Up 25% or more · 1

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: 21.41
Mainstream classes: 27
Classes of 30 or more: 1
Schools with a class of 30+: 1

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: 27; Up 7 since 2006/07, while pupils rose 42%
Teaching posts in 2025/26: about 46; Estimate: 27 class teachers, 2 principals and deputies, 12 special education and 5 special class teachers
Teachers in 2015/16: 40; The Department's last count of every teacher
Since 2024/25: 0 / 0; 0 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 Ferbane 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: 5; In 3 of 7 schools. 2 in 2020/21
Allocated for 2026/27: 5; In 3 schools
Autism classes: 5; 100% of special classes

Special classes since 2020/21

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

2020/21 2
2021/22 2
2022/23 3
2023/24 3
2024/25 5
2025/26 5
2026/27 5

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
St. Cynoc's National SchoolFerbane	20289P	Offaly	189	−4.1%	8	22.25	33	1
Ballinahown NSAthlone	19632S	Westmeath	96	+33.3%	4	24.00	26	0
S N Chiarain NaofaClonmacnoise	17188P	Offaly	83	+9.2%	4	20.75	26	0
High St Mixed N SBelmont	13191H	Offaly	73	+9.0%	3	24.33	29	0
S N Naomh CallinBallinahowen	16990G	Offaly	69	+7.8%	3	23.00	25	0
S N Muire NaofaPullough	17069H	Offaly	64	−31.9%	3	19.33	22	0
S N LomchluanaBirr	18777Q	Offaly	33	−31.2%	2	10.50	13	0