School planning area

Tuam

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

19 primary schools and 2,972 pupils in 2025/26, in County Galway.

Pupils in 2025/26: 2,972; −8 on 2024/25
Since 2015/16: +43.2%; 2,075 pupils in 2015/16
Schools: 19; No change on 2024/25
Average class size: 22.24; Average school size: 156.4

Trends in Tuam

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 Galway, schools with no planning area had 4.9% of pupils in 2015/16, 9.0% in 2005/06 and 34.0% in 1975/76. Known data issues

Pupils

2,972

−8 on 2024/25

1975/762025/26

Schools

14 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average pupils per school

156.4

87.3 in 1975/76

1975/762025/26

Average class size

22.24

−0.82 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. 326 in 2025/26, −47 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). 223 pupils in 2025/26, 7.5% of the area's pupils, against 9.6% 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

17 schools with figures for both years

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

8fell by 10% or more

5within 10%

4grew by 10% or more

Down 25% or more · 4Down 10 to 25% · 4Within 10% · 5Up 10 to 25% · 1Up 25% or more · 3

Grown most

Pupils in 2015/16 and 2025/26

1 Newtown NSTuam, Co. Galway 117 → 172 +47.0%
2 S N Cathair GealTuam, Co. Galway 87 → 124 +42.5%
3 Gaelscoil IarfhlathaTuaim, Co. Galway 200 → 223 +11.5%
4 Ceathru na nGarrdhantaTuam, Co. Galway 186 → 203 +9.1%
5 S N an Croi Ro NaofaTuam, Co. Galway 193 → 208 +7.8%

Fallen most

Pupils in 2015/16 and 2025/26

1 S N BheanainTuam, Co. Galway 66 → 31 −53.0%
2 St Brendans N STuam, Co. Galway 61 → 39 −36.1%
3 Barnaderg Central SCHTuam, Co. Galway 115 → 77 −33.0%
4 St Colmans MXD N STuam, Co. Galway 290 → 202 −30.3%
5 S N Cor an DromaClaregalway, Co. Galway 97 → 73 −24.7%

Ranked by percentage change. Only schools with 50 or more pupils in 2015/16 are ranked, leaving out any still filling their classes then, because a few pupils make a big percentage in a small or new school. An amalgamation or a new school nearby can also explain a big rise or fall.

Newer schools

2 schools still filling their classes in 2015/16 or opened since, with 976 pupils between them. They aren’t in the figures above.

Trinity Primary SchoolTuam · figures start 2019/20 781
Tuam Educate Together National SchoolTuam · opened 2015/16 195

Class sizes

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

Average class size: 22.24
Mainstream classes: 131
Classes of 30 or more: 7
Schools with a class of 30+: 4

Teachers

Teachers in the 19 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: 131; Up 72 since 2006/07, while pupils rose 116%
Teaching posts in 2025/26: about 209; Estimate: 131 class teachers, 9 principals and deputies, 58 special education and 11 special class teachers
Teachers in 2015/16: 114; The Department's last count of every teacher
Since 2024/25: 3 / 2; 3 schools gained a class teacher, 2 lost one

Class teachers since 2006/07

One for each mainstream class, every school year

Special schools and special classes

1 special school in the Tuam planning area, and the special classes in its 19 mainstream schools. Special schools aren't counted in the pupils, class sizes or teachers above.

All special schools

Pupils in special schools: 40; In 1 school, up from 24 in 2015/16
Special classes in 2025/26: 11; In 3 of 19 schools. 7 in 2020/21
Allocated for 2026/27: 15; In 5 schools: 4 new classes, 2 schools with their first
Autism classes: 9; 82% of special classes

Special classes since 2020/21

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

2020/21 7
2021/22 9
2022/23 9
2023/24 9
2024/25 10
2025/26 11
2026/27 15

2026/27, dashed: allocated for next year.

Special schools in the Tuam planning area
Special school	Pupils	Since 2015/16	Teaching posts	SNAs
St. Oliver's Child Education and Development CentreTuam · Severe or profound general learning disability	40	+66.7%	8	17.66

Sources: Department of Education enrolment lists; NCSE special class lists and special school allocations (CC BY 4.0).

Schools

19 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
Trinity Primary SchoolTuam	20547L	781	–	37	19.97	25	0
Gaelscoil IarfhlathaTuaim	20061I	223	+11.5%	9	24.78	31	3
S N an Croi Ro NaofaTuam	18021H	208	+7.8%	8	24.62	29	0
Ceathru na nGarrdhantaTuam	17631G	203	+9.1%	8	25.38	29	0
St Colmans MXD N STuam	19276W	202	−30.3%	8	25.25	29	0
Tuam Educate Together National SchoolTuam	20456I	195	+1,850.0%	8	24.38	27	0
Ballinderry N STuam	16410I	191	+7.3%	8	23.88	36	2
Newtown NSTuam	20280U	172	+47.0%	7	24.57	31	1
S N Cathair GealTuam	17807R	124	+42.5%	5	24.80	33	1
SN Baile an MhuilinnTuam	18460K	99	+2.1%	5	19.80	27	0
Kilconly N STuam	15475I	90	−21.7%	4	22.50	25	0
S N an TsaileainTuam	06489S	90	+1.1%	4	22.50	28	0
Barnaderg Central SCHTuam	19275U	77	−33.0%	4	19.25	23	0
S N Cor an DromaClaregalway	15796F	73	−24.7%	3	22.33	25	0
S N an Leath BhaileTuam	17197Q	69	−10.4%	3	23.00	28	0
SN Ceathru na LaithighTuam	12138V	54	+54.3%	3	18.00	25	0
Scoil Naomh IosefTuam	18289D	51	−17.7%	3	17.00	22	0
St Brendans N STuam	20040A	39	−36.1%	2	19.50	21	0
S N BheanainTuam	18636V	31	−53.0%	2	15.50	17	0