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School planning area

Headford

12 primary schools and 888 pupils in 2025/26, in Counties Galway and Mayo.

Pupils in 2025/26
888
−34 on 2024/25
Since 2015/16
−14.9%
1,044 pupils in 2015/16
Schools
12
No change on 2024/25
Average class size
19.36
Average school size: 74.0

By county

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

Change over
Galway 7 681
−12.7%
Mayo 5 207
−21.6%

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 Galway and Mayo, schools with no planning area had 6.2% of pupils in 2015/16, 12.2% in 2005/06 and 40.0% in 1975/76. Known data issues

Pupils

888

−34 on 2024/25

1975/762025/26

Schools

12

13 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average pupils per school

74.0

68.1 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average class size

19.36

−0.36 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. 93 in 2025/26, +2 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

11 schools with figures for both years

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

6fell by 10% or more
2within 10%
3grew by 10% or more
Down 25% or more · 6Down 10 to 25% · 0Within 10% · 2Up 10 to 25% · 2Up 25% or more · 1

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 137 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
19.36
Mainstream classes
45
Classes of 30 or more
6
Schools with a class of 30+
4

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
45
Up 4 since 2006/07, while pupils rose 5%
Teaching posts in 2025/26
about 66
Estimate: 45 class teachers, 1 principals and deputies, 18 special education and 3 special class teachers
Teachers in 2015/16
63
The Department's last count of every teacher
Since 2024/25
0 / 1
0 schools gained a class teacher, 1 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 Headford 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
3
In 2 of 12 schools. 2 in 2021/22
Allocated for 2026/27
4
In 2 schools: 1 new class
Autism classes
3
100% of special classes

Special classes since 2021/22

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

  • 2021/22 2
  • 2022/23 2
  • 2023/24 2
  • 2024/25 3
  • 2025/26 3
  • 2026/27 4

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
Bunscoil Naomh ChuanaHeadford 12782C Galway 208
+11.2%
8 24.50 32 3
Headford Primary SchoolGalway 20583P Galway 137 – 6 22.83 34 1
S N Naomh FhursaHeadford 17118R Galway 100
−35.5%
5 19.00 27 0
S N Naomh SheosamhShrule 16984L Mayo 99
−1.0%
4 24.75 31 1
S N Domhnach PadraigCaherlistrane 17207Q Galway 92
−26.4%
4 23.00 32 1
Cloughanower N SHeadford 14448A Galway 66
−29.8%
4 16.50 21 0
Scoil Naomh PadraigHeadford 14278B Galway 60
−6.2%
3 20.00 23 0
Glencorrib N SShrule 17874J Mayo 52
+126.1%
3 17.33 20 0
SN Naomh ProinnsiasHeadford 17615I Mayo 32
−52.9%
2 16.00 18 0
S N Padraig NaofaHeadford 17793J Galway 18
+12.5%
2 9.00 10 0
SN Baile CuisinTuam 18876S Mayo 13
−51.9%
2 6.50 8 0
Gortjordan N SClaremorris 14534Q Mayo 11
−76.1%
2 5.50 6 0

Closed schools counted here

These schools closed after the Department started recording planning areas in 2023/24, so their earlier pupils are included in the trends above.

School Roll number Last year Pupils that year
S N Breandain NaofaHeadford 17648A 2023/24 31
Scoil Mhuire na Dea ComhairleHeadford 17647V 2023/24 103