Convent of Mercy National School
Kilrush · Roll number 20041C
- Catholic ethos
- DEIS
- Ordinary with Special Classes
- Pupils in 2025/26
- 329
- −8 on 2024/25
- Over 10 years
- +6%
- Up 19 from 310 in 2015/16
- Girls and boys
- 169 / 160
- 51% girls
Pupils since 1996
Total enrolment each school year
Shaded: the last 10 years, 2015/16 to 2025/26.
Pupils by class
Published for each class from 2020/21.
This year, 2025/26
329 pupils across 8 classes
Every class, every year
Darker cells have more pupils. A group of pupils moves down one class and right one year.
| 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | 2025/26 | Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior Infants | 38 | 41 | 50 | 38 | 40 | 38 | 40.8 |
| Senior Infants | 33 | 39 | 44 | 50 | 34 | 42 | 40.3 |
| 1st Class | 31 | 29 | 41 | 48 | 47 | 35 | 38.5 |
| 2nd Class | 42 | 32 | 36 | 42 | 47 | 48 | 41.2 |
| 3rd Class | 37 | 41 | 35 | 35 | 43 | 46 | 39.5 |
| 4th Class | 35 | 36 | 42 | 37 | 32 | 44 | 37.7 |
| 5th Class | 48 | 33 | 40 | 43 | 40 | 38 | 40.3 |
| 6th Class | 33 | 49 | 34 | 42 | 42 | 38 | 39.7 |
JI and SI are Junior and Senior Infants.
Started Junior Infants in 2024/25
40 in Junior Infants (2024/25), 42 in Senior Infants (2025/26): 2 pupils more.
- 40Junior Infants2024/25
- 42Senior Infants2025/26
Started Junior Infants in 2023/24
38 in Junior Infants (2023/24), 35 in 1st Class (2025/26): 3 pupils fewer.
- 38Junior Infants2023/24
- 34Senior Infants2024/25
- 351st Class2025/26
Started Junior Infants in 2022/23
50 in Junior Infants (2022/23), 48 in 2nd Class (2025/26): 2 pupils fewer.
- 50Junior Infants2022/23
- 50Senior Infants2023/24
- 471st Class2024/25
- 482nd Class2025/26
Started Junior Infants in 2021/22
41 in Junior Infants (2021/22), 46 in 3rd Class (2025/26): 5 pupils more.
- 41Junior Infants2021/22
- 44Senior Infants2022/23
- 481st Class2023/24
- 472nd Class2024/25
- 463rd Class2025/26
Started Junior Infants in 2020/21
38 in Junior Infants (2020/21), 44 in 4th Class (2025/26): 6 pupils more.
- 38Junior Infants2020/21
- 39Senior Infants2021/22
- 411st Class2022/23
- 422nd Class2023/24
- 433rd Class2024/25
- 444th Class2025/26
In Senior Infants in 2020/21
33 in Senior Infants (2020/21), 38 in 5th Class (2025/26): 5 pupils more.
- 33Senior Infants2020/21
- 291st Class2021/22
- 362nd Class2022/23
- 353rd Class2023/24
- 324th Class2024/25
- 385th Class2025/26
In 1st Class in 2020/21
31 in 1st Class (2020/21), 38 in 6th Class (2025/26): 7 pupils more.
- 311st Class2020/21
- 322nd Class2021/22
- 353rd Class2022/23
- 374th Class2023/24
- 405th Class2024/25
- 386th Class2025/26
In 2nd Class in 2020/21
42 in 2nd Class (2020/21), 42 in 6th Class (2024/25): no change.
- 422nd Class2020/21
- 413rd Class2021/22
- 424th Class2022/23
- 435th Class2023/24
- 426th Class2024/25
In 3rd Class in 2020/21
37 in 3rd Class (2020/21), 42 in 6th Class (2023/24): 5 pupils more.
- 373rd Class2020/21
- 364th Class2021/22
- 405th Class2022/23
- 426th Class2023/24
In 4th Class in 2020/21
35 in 4th Class (2020/21), 34 in 6th Class (2022/23): 1 pupil fewer.
- 354th Class2020/21
- 335th Class2021/22
- 346th Class2022/23
In 5th Class in 2020/21
48 in 5th Class (2020/21), 49 in 6th Class (2021/22): 1 pupil more.
- 485th Class2020/21
- 496th Class2021/22
Biggest one-year changes in a class
- +166th Class in 2021/22 (33 to 49)
- −16Senior Infants in 2024/25 (50 to 34)
Class sizes
Mainstream class groups, 2006/07 to 2025/26.
Why these won't match pupils by class
Mainstream class groups only. The source does not identify which standard/year group each class group belongs to. So these figures won't match the pupils-by-class figures exactly.
In 2025/26. Choose a figure to chart it.
Class sizes over time
Average class size, 2006/07 to 2025/26
Teachers
Who teaches at Convent of Mercy National School, 2006/07 to 2025/26.
How we count teachers
Class teachers come from the Department of Education's class sizes: one for each mainstream class. Special education and special class teachers are the posts the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) allocates. We add a principal who doesn't teach a class where the Department's rules give the school one. These are posts, not people: part of a post can be a teacher shared with another school. Up to 2015/16 the Department counted every teacher itself. Known data issues
In 2025/26
26.5teaching posts
Our estimate: about 26 teachers.
- Class teachersOne for each of the 16 mainstream classes 16
- PrincipalRuns the school and doesn't teach a class 1
- Special education teachers187.5 hours of support teaching a week 7.5
- Special class teachersFor an autism class and a multiple disabilities class 2
7.83 special needs assistants (SNAs) also work with pupils. 12 pupils are in special classes, which the class sizes leave out.
The NCSE has allocated 7.5 special education teachers, 2 special class teachers and 7.83 SNAs for next year.
Teachers since 2006/07
Teachers each school year, by role
To 2015/16: the Department of Education's count of every teacher. From 2019/20: our estimate, from class sizes and the NCSE's allocations. Dashed boxes: no special education figures were published for those years, so only class teachers and the principal are shown. Known data issues
Sources: Department of Education class sizes and teacher counts; NCSE school allocations and special classes (CC BY 4.0).
Nearby schools
The 6 primary schools closest to Convent of Mercy National School, measured in a straight line. Pupil numbers are for 2025/26.
| Number on map | School | Distance | Pupils | Since 2015/16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Convent of Mercy National SchoolThis school | – | 329 |
+6.1%
|
|
| 1 | Gaelscoil Ui Choimin0.1 km · Cill Rois · Gaelscoil · DEIS | 0.1 km | 61 |
−6.2%
|
| 2 | S N Ma Sheasta4.9 km · Moyasta | 4.9 km | 37 |
−35.1%
|
| 3 | S N Cnoc Doire6.4 km · Kilrush | 6.4 km | 17 |
−32.0%
|
| 4 | Scoil an Sraith S N7.1 km · Doonbeg · DEIS | 7.1 km | 15 |
−42.3%
|
| 5 | Cooraclare B N S8.5 km · Kilrush | 8.5 km | 78 |
−30.4%
|
| 6 | Burrane N S8.8 km · Kilrush | 8.8 km | 17 |
−72.6%
|
About this school
Inspection reports open on gov.ie, under the name the school had when it was inspected. They describe specific areas of the school's work rather than giving an overall grade. Newer schools may not have one yet.
Contact
- Principal
- Avril Bolton
- Phone
- 0659051792
- [email protected]
- Address
- Kilrush, Co. Clare, V15 HX06
School
- Ethos
- Catholic
- Patron
- Bishop of Killaloe
- School type
- Ordinary with Special Classes
- School level
- All Through
- DEIS
- DEIS
Language and area
- Irish classification
- No subjects through Irish
- Gaeltacht
- Non-Gaeltacht
- Island
- Not on an island
- Local authority
- Clare County Council
- Planning area
- Kilrush
Each detail is the latest one the Department of Education has recorded for this school. If a detail was left blank in 2025/26, we show it from an earlier year, so some details may be older than the pupil numbers. Known data issues
Data by year
30 school years from 1996/97 to 2025/26. Class figures start in 2020/21.
| Year | Total | Girls | Boys | JI | SI | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | 329 | 169 | 160 | 38 | 42 | 35 | 48 | 46 | 44 | 38 | 38 |
| 2024/25 | 337 | 178 | 159 | 40 | 34 | 47 | 47 | 43 | 32 | 40 | 42 |
| 2023/24 | 343 | 175 | 168 | 38 | 50 | 48 | 42 | 35 | 37 | 43 | 42 |
| 2022/23 | 330 | 177 | 153 | 50 | 44 | 41 | 36 | 35 | 42 | 40 | 34 |
| 2021/22 | 311 | 166 | 145 | 41 | 39 | 29 | 32 | 41 | 36 | 33 | 49 |
| 2020/21 | 307 | 156 | 151 | 38 | 33 | 31 | 42 | 37 | 35 | 48 | 33 |
| 2019/20 | 308 | 160 | 148 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2018/19 | 319 | 164 | 155 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2017/18 | 314 | 157 | 157 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2016/17 | 309 | 158 | 151 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2015/16 | 310 | 154 | 156 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2014/15 | 308 | 152 | 156 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2013/14 | 289 | 147 | 142 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2012/13 | 280 | 151 | 129 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2011/12 | 284 | 149 | 135 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2010/11 | 274 | 139 | 135 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2009/10 | 285 | 140 | 145 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2008/09 | 283 | 142 | 141 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2007/08 | 282 | 140 | 142 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2006/07 | 275 | 134 | 141 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2005/06 | 291 | 140 | 151 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2004/05 | 293 | 143 | 150 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2003/04 | 300 | 152 | 148 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2002/03 | 306 | 157 | 149 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2001/02 | 304 | 161 | 143 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2000/01 | 302 | 157 | 145 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1999/00 | 305 | 155 | 150 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1998/99 | 311 | 155 | 156 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1997/98 | 324 | 165 | 159 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1996/97 | 332 | 164 | 168 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |