School planning area

Letterkenny

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

21 primary schools and 4,914 pupils in 2025/26, in County Donegal.

Pupils in 2025/26: 4,914; −51 on 2024/25
Since 2015/16: +7.9%; 4,556 pupils in 2015/16
Schools: 21; No change on 2024/25
Average class size: 23.73; Average school size: 234.0

Trends in Letterkenny

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 Donegal, schools with no planning area had 0.3% of pupils in 2015/16, 2.1% in 2005/06 and 24.2% in 1975/76. Known data issues

Pupils

4,914

−51 on 2024/25

1975/762025/26

Schools

17 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average pupils per school

234.0

141.6 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average class size

23.73

+0.12 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. 558 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 (3 schools today). 601 pupils in 2025/26, 12.2% of the area's pupils, against 14.5% 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

21 schools with figures for both years

5fell by 10% or more

11within 10%

5grew by 10% or more

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

Grown most

Pupils in 2015/16 and 2025/26

1 Scoil ChoilmcilleLetterkenny, Co. Donegal 355 → 658 +85.4%
2 Letterkenny Educate Together NSLetterkenny, Co. Donegal 228 → 420 +84.2%
3 S N Naomh ColmchilleManorcunningham, Co. Donegal 73 → 81 +11.0%
4 S N Muire gan SmalLetterkenny, Co. Donegal 444 → 480 +8.1%
5 S N Naomh ColmchilleKilmacrennan, Co. Donegal 227 → 231 +1.8%

Fallen most

Pupils in 2015/16 and 2025/26

1 Scoil an tStratha MhóirLeitir Ceanainn, Co. Donegal 89 → 64 −28.1%
2 Ray N SManorcunningham, Co. Donegal 63 → 51 −19.0%
3 Scoil CholmcilleNewtowncunningham, Co. Donegal 233 → 199 −14.6%
4 Scoil CholmcilleAn Tearmann, Co. Donegal 140 → 127 −9.3%
5 St Patricks N SLetterkenny, Co. Donegal 459 → 426 −7.2%

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.

Class sizes

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

Average class size: 23.73
Mainstream classes: 202
Classes of 30 or more: 28
Schools with a class of 30+: 8

Teachers

Teachers in the 21 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: 202; Up 55 since 2006/07, while pupils rose 24%
Teaching posts in 2025/26: about 323; Estimate: 202 class teachers, 14 principals and deputies, 87 special education and 20 special class teachers
Teachers in 2015/16: 262; The Department's last count of every teacher
Since 2024/25: 1 / 5; 1 school gained a class teacher, 5 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 Letterkenny planning area, and the special classes in its 21 mainstream schools. Special schools aren't counted in the pupils, class sizes or teachers above.

All special schools

Pupils in special schools: 274; In 2 schools, up from 165 in 2015/16
Special classes in 2025/26: 20; In 9 of 21 schools. 11 in 2020/21
Allocated for 2026/27: 23; In 10 schools: 3 new classes, 1 school with its first
Autism classes: 16; 80% of special classes

Special classes since 2020/21

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

2020/21 11
2021/22 12
2022/23 13
2023/24 17
2024/25 17
2025/26 20
2026/27 23

2026/27, dashed: allocated for next year.

Special schools in the Letterkenny planning area
Special school	Pupils	Since 2015/16	Teaching posts	SNAs
Little Angels Spec SCHLetterkenny · Moderate general learning disability	145	+54.3%	26	64
St Bernadette Spec SCHLetterkenny · Mild general learning disability	129	+81.7%	16	26.5

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

Schools

21 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
Scoil ChoilmcilleLetterkenny	18625Q	658	+85.4%	24	26.96	28	0
Scoil Naomh FiachraLetterkenny	12077E	519	+0.8%	20	25.95	32	6
S N Muire gan SmalLetterkenny	18052S	480	+8.1%	19	24.95	30	10
S N Talamh na CoilleLetterkenny	17728V	467	−3.1%	19	22.58	28	0
St Patricks N SLetterkenny	16672P	426	−7.2%	17	24.35	31	3
Letterkenny Educate Together NSLetterkenny	20235P	420	+84.2%	17	23.65	31	2
Gaelscoil AdhamhnainLeitir Ceanainn	19971R	410	−4.7%	16	25.62	30	2
Glenswilly N SLetterkenny	19313C	262	−5.4%	11	23.27	32	3
S N Naomh ColmchilleKilmacrennan	17036P	231	+1.8%	9	24.33	30	1
S N Baile RaighinLetterkenny	19411C	215	−3.2%	9	23.22	29	0
Scoil CholmcilleNewtowncunningham	16820E	199	−14.6%	8	24.88	32	1
Scoil CholmcilleAn Tearmann	14194S	127	−9.3%	6	19.17	26	0
Scoil Naomh ProinnseasManorcunningham	17729A	119	−2.5%	5	23.80	26	0
Moyle N SNewtowncunningham	19633U	81	−5.8%	4	20.25	26	0
S N Naomh ColmchilleManorcunningham	16995Q	81	+11.0%	4	20.25	26	0
Scoil an tStratha MhóirLeitir Ceanainn	15208I	64	−28.1%	3	21.33	28	0
Ray N SManorcunningham	14941G	51	−19.0%	3	17.00	19	0
S N TriantaLetterkenny	18319J	33	+43.5%	2	16.50	22	0
Cashelshanaghan N SLetterkenny	15170J	28	−17.6%	2	14.00	14	0
Scoil Naomh SeosamhLetterkenny	18058H	24	−35.1%	2	12.00	14	0
Gartan N SLetterkenny	13755E	19	+11.8%	2	9.50	11	0