School planning area

Stranorlar

16 primary schools and 1,797 pupils in 2025/26, in County Donegal.

Pupils in 2025/26
1,797
−24 on 2024/25
Since 2015/16
−7.6%
1,944 pupils in 2015/16
Schools
16
No change on 2024/25
Average class size
20.99
Average school size: 112.3

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

1,797

−24 on 2024/25

1975/762025/26

Schools

16

15 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average pupils per school

112.3

83.7 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average class size

20.99

−0.64 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.

Junior infants

Pupils starting school each year. Class-by-class figures start in 2020/21. 202 in 2025/26, +20 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 (2 schools today). 109 pupils in 2025/26, 6.1% of the area's pupils, against 6.7% 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

16 schools with figures for both years

9fell by 10% or more
5within 10%
2grew by 10% or more
Down 25% or more · 6Down 10 to 25% · 3Within 10% · 5Up 10 to 25% · 0Up 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
20.99
Mainstream classes
83
Classes of 30 or more
6
Schools with a class of 30+
5

Teachers

Teachers in the 16 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
83
Up 8 since 2006/07, while pupils fell 2%
Teaching posts in 2025/26
about 134
Estimate: 83 class teachers, 5 principals and deputies, 36 special education and 10 special class teachers
Teachers in 2015/16
112
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 Stranorlar planning area, and the special classes in the 16 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
10
In 4 of 16 schools. 8 in 2020/21
Allocated for 2026/27
10
In 4 schools
Autism classes
10
100% of special classes

Special classes since 2020/21

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

  • 2020/21 8
  • 2021/22 8
  • 2022/23 8
  • 2023/24 8
  • 2024/25 9
  • 2025/26 10
  • 2026/27 10

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

16 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 Mhuire B & CStranorlar 19927O 489
+8.2%
20 24.00 30 1
S N an Droim MorLifford 16349I 229
+9.0%
9 22.11 31 1
Dooish N SBallybofey 19333I 191
−10.7%
8 22.50 30 2
S N Seiseadh Ui NeillBallybofey 17607J 167
−20.1%
8 20.88 30 1
St Mary's National SchoolLifford 14910S 155
+1.3%
6 25.00 35 1
Scoil PhádraigBallybofey 17057A 118
−5.6%
5 23.60 29 0
Robertson N SStranorlar 18731P 89
+102.3%
4 22.25 28 0
S N Gleann CoimheadBallybofey 17575W 57
−27.8%
3 19.00 20 0
S N TaodhbhogLeifearr 17553M 55
−5.2%
3 18.33 22 0
S N an ChoiminAn Clochán 17564R 54
−25.0%
3 18.00 22 0
S N Baile an BhailsigBallybofey 18703K 47
+51.6%
2 23.50 24 0
Gleneely N SKillygordon 18172F 45
−53.6%
3 15.00 16 0
SN Naomh SamhthannCastlefin 17040G 40
−52.4%
3 13.33 16 0
Killygordan N SLifford 18874O 22
−18.5%
2 11.00 12 0
S N Domhnach MorCastlefin 17241Q 22
−47.6%
2 11.00 14 0
Scoil Cholmcille NaofaCastlefin 17956L 17
−63.8%
2 8.50 11 0