School planning area

Raphoe

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

12 primary schools and 1,291 pupils in 2025/26, in County Donegal.

Pupils in 2025/26: 1,291; −8 on 2024/25
Since 2015/16: +6.3%; 1,215 pupils in 2015/16
Schools: 12; No change on 2024/25
Average class size: 21.39; Average school size: 107.6

Trends in Raphoe

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

1,291

−8 on 2024/25

1975/762025/26

Schools

11 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average pupils per school

107.6

123.6 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average class size

21.39

−0.17 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. 142 in 2025/26, −29 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

12 schools with figures for both years

1fell by 10% or more

6within 10%

5grew by 10% or more

Down 25% or more · 0Down 10 to 25% · 1Within 10% · 6Up 10 to 25% · 1Up 25% or more · 4

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: 21.39
Mainstream classes: 59
Classes of 30 or more: 7
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: 59; Up 6 since 2006/07, while pupils rose 10%
Teaching posts in 2025/26: about 98; Estimate: 59 class teachers, 4 principals and deputies, 30 special education and 5 special class teachers
Teachers in 2015/16: 76; 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 Raphoe 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: 5; In 4 of 12 schools. 3 in 2020/21
Allocated for 2026/27: 7; In 5 schools: 2 new classes, 1 school with its first
Autism classes: 5; 100% of special classes

Special classes since 2020/21

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

2020/21 3
2021/22 4
2022/23 4
2023/24 4
2024/25 5
2025/26 5
2026/27 7

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
Scoil BhrideLifford	18737E	192	−2.0%	11	16.91	22	0
Raphoe Central N SLifford	16138S	185	+0.5%	7	26.43	32	2
St Patricks N SLifford	16054M	162	−11.0%	6	26.00	31	3
Scoil AdhamhnainRaphoe	17828C	158	−1.2%	6	25.50	28	0
Scoil Náisiúnta Muire gan SmálLifford	18076J	124	+30.5%	6	20.67	33	1
S N Naomh BaoithinLifford	19518U	113	−2.6%	5	20.20	27	0
Comhscoil Chonmha S NConvoy	05230S	100	+28.2%	4	25.00	33	1
SN an Leinbh IosaLifford	17598L	84	+25.4%	4	21.00	23	0
S N Baile an CaisleanSt Johnston	18700E	66	+94.1%	3	22.00	23	0
Monreagh N SCarrigans	07143K	48	0.0%	3	16.00	18	0
Scoil Cuilm CilleLifford	17469A	38	+5.6%	2	19.00	21	0
Glenmaquin N SLetterkenny	09748I	21	+10.5%	2	10.50	12	0