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School planning area

Swords

15 primary schools and 5,382 pupils in 2025/26, in County Dublin.

Pupils in 2025/26
5,382
−156 on 2024/25
Since 2015/16
−3.5%
5,576 pupils in 2015/16
Schools
15
No change on 2024/25
Average class size
23.15
Average school size: 358.8

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 Dublin, schools with no planning area had 1.5% of pupils in 2015/16, 5.3% in 2005/06 and 36.8% in 1975/76. Known data issues

Pupils

5,382

−156 on 2024/25

1975/762025/26

Schools

15

4 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average pupils per school

358.8

443.8 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average class size

23.15

−0.44 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. 615 in 2025/26, −32 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). 441 pupils in 2025/26, 8.2% of the area's pupils, against 8.5% 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

12 schools with figures for both years

Schools still filling their classes in 2015/16, and schools opened since, are listed separately.

6fell by 10% or more
4within 10%
2grew by 10% or more
Down 25% or more · 0Down 10 to 25% · 6Within 10% · 4Up 10 to 25% · 1Up 25% or more · 1

Sort the table below by the change column to see which schools grew or fell most.

Newer schools

3 schools still filling their classes in 2015/16 or opened since, with 835 pupils between them. They aren’t in the figures above.

Class sizes

Mainstream class groups only. The source does not identify which standard/year group each class group belongs to.

Average class size
23.15
Mainstream classes
226
Classes of 30 or more
2
Schools with a class of 30+
2

Teachers

Teachers in the 15 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
226
Up 73 since 2006/07, while pupils rose 29%
Teaching posts in 2025/26
about 359
Estimate: 226 class teachers, 15 principals and deputies, 94 special education and 24 special class teachers
Teachers in 2015/16
312
The Department's last count of every teacher
Since 2024/25
0 / 4
0 schools gained a class teacher, 4 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 Swords planning area, and the special classes in the 15 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
24
In 11 of 15 schools. 11 in 2021/22
Allocated for 2026/27
27
In 11 schools: 3 new classes
Autism classes
21
88% of special classes

Special classes since 2021/22

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

  • 2021/22 11
  • 2022/23 16
  • 2023/24 17
  • 2024/25 18
  • 2025/26 24
  • 2026/27 27

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

15 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
Holy Family Senior N SSwords 19877C 624
+0.3%
24 25.25 27 0
Holywell Educate Together National SchoolSwords 20348F 613
+22.8%
24 24.29 29 0
Holy Family Junior N SSwords 19721R 565
−18.6%
24 23.54 25 0
Brackenstown Senior N SSwords 19535U 530
−6.2%
23 22.26 26 0
St Cronans Junior National SchoolSwords 19456B 498
−21.6%
20 24.30 28 0
Gaelscoil Bhrian BóroimheSord 20095C 441
−7.0%
16 27.56 29 0
Swords Educate Together NSSwords 20145O 394
−10.7%
16 23.88 27 0
Brighde NaofaKilsallaghan 17820J 357
+12.3%
15 23.00 29 0
S N Cholmcille CSwords 18977B 326
−20.9%
16 20.00 28 0
S N Cholmille BSwords 18976W 320
−22.0%
14 22.07 30 1
Thornleigh Educate Together National SchoolSwords 20302E 313
−3.7%
16 18.81 23 0
River Valley CNSSwords 20528H 142 – 6 23.67 32 1
Mary Queen of Ireland N SToberburr 19693P 95
+25.0%
4 20.75 26 0
Swords Borough N SSwords 12358M 84
−20.0%
4 21.00 26 0
Broadmeadow Community National SchoolSwords 20529J 80 – 4 18.50 22 0