School planning area

Mountrath

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

9 primary schools and 726 pupils in 2025/26, in County Laois.

Pupils in 2025/26: 726; +12 on 2024/25
Since 2015/16: −0.3%; 728 pupils in 2015/16
Schools: 9; No change on 2024/25
Average class size: 19.71; Average school size: 80.7

Trends in Mountrath

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 Laois, schools with no planning area had 13.7% of pupils in 2015/16, 18.2% in 2005/06 and 40.4% in 1975/76. Known data issues

Pupils

726

+12 on 2024/25

1975/762025/26

Schools

8 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average pupils per school

80.7

90.9 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average class size

19.71

−0.23 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. 83 in 2025/26, −5 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). 34 pupils in 2025/26, 4.7% of the area's pupils, against 5.5% 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

9 schools with figures for both years

3fell by 10% or more

3within 10%

3grew by 10% or more

Down 25% or more · 2Down 10 to 25% · 1Within 10% · 3Up 10 to 25% · 2Up 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: 19.71
Mainstream classes: 35
Classes of 30 or more: 0
Schools with a class of 30+: 0

Teachers

Teachers in the 9 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: 35; Up 7 since 2006/07, while pupils rose 14%
Teaching posts in 2025/26: about 56; Estimate: 35 class teachers, 3 principals and deputies, 12 special education and 6 special class teachers
Teachers in 2015/16: 40; The Department's last count of every teacher
Since 2024/25: 1 / 0; 1 school 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 Mountrath planning area, and the special classes in the 9 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: 6; In 3 of 9 schools. 4 in 2020/21
Allocated for 2026/27: 6; In 3 schools
Autism classes: 6; 100% of special classes

Special classes since 2020/21

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

2020/21 4
2021/22 5
2022/23 5
2023/24 5
2024/25 6
2025/26 6
2026/27 6

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

9 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
Camross N SPortlaoise	15933M	156	+17.3%	6	26.00	29
Castletown N.SCastletown	20169F	111	−27.0%	5	19.80	25
St Fintans N SMountrath	07636K	108	+36.7%	5	19.20	22
Scoil BhrideMountrath	13343E	95	−7.8%	5	19.00	23
Cluain Eidhneach N SMountrath	18166K	89	+18.7%	4	19.25	20
Paddock N SMountrath	13173F	80	+6.7%	4	20.00	23
Trummera N SMaighean Rátha	15446B	34	−15.0%	2	17.00	19
Rushall N SMountrath	12231L	30	−9.1%	2	15.00	16
Cill an Iubhair N SMountrath	17084D	23	−39.5%	2	11.50	12