School planning area

Rathdowney

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

6 primary schools and 655 pupils in 2025/26, in County Laois.

Pupils in 2025/26: 655; +4 on 2024/25
Since 2015/16: +7.2%; 611 pupils in 2015/16
Schools: 6; No change on 2024/25
Average class size: 22.00; Average school size: 109.2

Trends in Rathdowney

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

655

+4 on 2024/25

1975/762025/26

Schools

4 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average pupils per school

109.2

97.8 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average class size

22.00

−0.56 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. 87 in 2025/26, +14 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). 49 pupils in 2025/26, 7.5% of the area's pupils, against 5.4% 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

6 schools with figures for both years

1fell by 10% or more

2within 10%

3grew by 10% or more

Down 25% or more · 1Down 10 to 25% · 0Within 10% · 2Up 10 to 25% · 1Up 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: 22.00
Mainstream classes: 28
Classes of 30 or more: 3
Schools with a class of 30+: 2

Teachers

Teachers in the 6 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: 28; Up 3 since 2006/07, while pupils rose 6%
Teaching posts in 2025/26: about 51; Estimate: 28 class teachers, 3 principals and deputies, 13 special education and 7 special class teachers
Teachers in 2015/16: 35; 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 Rathdowney planning area, and the special classes in the 6 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: 7; In 3 of 6 schools. 4 in 2020/21
Allocated for 2026/27: 7; In 3 schools
Autism classes: 5; 71% of special classes

Special classes since 2020/21

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

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

6 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 BhrideRathdowney	20071L	244	+19.0%	10	23.20	30	1
Kiladooley Mixed N SBorris-in-Ossory	12692B	132	+26.9%	5	26.40	32	2
St Josephs National SchoolBorrin-in-Ossory	07442U	95	−2.1%	4	19.50	27	0
S N Naomh ColmcillePortlaoise	18780F	71	+7.6%	4	17.75	22	0
Cloch an Tsionnaigh N SAbbeyleix	15562D	64	−39.6%	3	21.33	25	0
Gaelscoil an Tsli DalaAn Bealach Mór	20224K	49	+48.5%	2	19.50	22	0