School planning area

Newcastlewest

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

11 primary schools and 1,730 pupils in 2025/26, in County Limerick.

Pupils in 2025/26: 1,730; −13 on 2024/25
Since 2015/16: +7.3%; 1,612 pupils in 2015/16
Schools: 11; No change on 2024/25
Average class size: 21.29; Average school size: 157.3

Trends in Newcastlewest

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 Limerick, schools with no planning area had 3.0% of pupils in 2015/16, 9.2% in 2005/06 and 34.5% in 1975/76. Known data issues

Pupils

1,730

−13 on 2024/25

1975/762025/26

Schools

10 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average pupils per school

157.3

150.6 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average class size

21.29

−0.51 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. 201 in 2025/26, +3 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). 201 pupils in 2025/26, 11.6% of the area's pupils, against 14.7% 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

11 schools with figures for both years

3fell by 10% or more

4within 10%

4grew by 10% or more

Down 25% or more · 0Down 10 to 25% · 3Within 10% · 4Up 10 to 25% · 2Up 25% or more · 2

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: 21.29
Mainstream classes: 77
Classes of 30 or more: 5
Schools with a class of 30+: 4

Teachers

Teachers in the 11 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: 77; Up 24 since 2006/07, while pupils rose 29%
Teaching posts in 2025/26: about 133; Estimate: 77 class teachers, 7 principals and deputies, 33 special education and 16 special class teachers
Teachers in 2015/16: 92; 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 Newcastlewest planning area, and the special classes in the 11 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: 16; In 8 of 11 schools. 8 in 2020/21
Allocated for 2026/27: 16; In 8 schools
Autism classes: 12; 75% of special classes

Special classes since 2020/21

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

2020/21 8
2021/22 9
2022/23 14
2023/24 13
2024/25 14
2025/26 16
2026/27 16

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

11 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
Courtenay National SchoolNewcastle West	17951B	251	+0.8%	12	18.33	29	0
Mahoonagh N SCastlemahon	11422N	237	+18.5%	10	22.60	30	1
S N Cill LachtainNewcastle West	18708U	235	+70.3%	10	22.30	31	2
St Josephs ConventNewcastle West	12975N	225	−2.2%	11	18.91	29	0
Monagea National SchoolNewcastle West	09401Q	206	+24.8%	8	25.25	30	1
Gaelscoil O DoghairCaisleán Nua Thiar	19883U	201	−15.2%	8	24.38	31	1
Scoil MhuireBallingarry	18612H	107	−18.9%	5	21.40	28	0
Scoil Ide NaofaBallagh	18426K	89	+3.5%	4	20.75	25	0
S N Molua BArdagh	14075K	82	−19.6%	4	19.50	26	0
Carrickerry N SAthea	11280T	49	+6.5%	3	16.33	18	0
Kilmeedy N SKilmeedy	16764U	48	+77.8%	2	24.00	28	0