Holy Family Junior School
Portlaoise · Roll number 20270R
- Catholic ethos
- Not DEIS
- Ordinary with Special Classes
- Pupils in 2025/26
- 599
- −2 on 2024/25
- Figures start
- 2016/17
- With 684 pupils. A new roll number like this often follows an amalgamation.
- Girls and boys
- 308 / 291
- 51% girls
Pupils since 2016
Total enrolment each school year
Pupils by class
Published for each class from 2020/21.
This year, 2025/26
599 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 | 150 | 150 | 150 | 157 | 140 | 131 | 146.3 |
| Senior Infants | 166 | 145 | 149 | 148 | 158 | 143 | 151.5 |
| 1st Class | 156 | 169 | 146 | 153 | 147 | 164 | 155.8 |
| 2nd Class | 163 | 155 | 169 | 157 | 150 | 161 | 159.2 |
| 3rd Class | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0.0 |
| 4th Class | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0.0 |
| 5th Class | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0.0 |
| 6th Class | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0.0 |
JI and SI are Junior and Senior Infants.
Started Junior Infants in 2024/25
140 in Junior Infants (2024/25), 143 in Senior Infants (2025/26): 3 pupils more.
- 140Junior Infants2024/25
- 143Senior Infants2025/26
Started Junior Infants in 2023/24
157 in Junior Infants (2023/24), 164 in 1st Class (2025/26): 7 pupils more.
- 157Junior Infants2023/24
- 158Senior Infants2024/25
- 1641st Class2025/26
Started Junior Infants in 2022/23
150 in Junior Infants (2022/23), 161 in 2nd Class (2025/26): 11 pupils more.
- 150Junior Infants2022/23
- 148Senior Infants2023/24
- 1471st Class2024/25
- 1612nd Class2025/26
Started Junior Infants in 2021/22
150 in Junior Infants (2021/22), 0 in 3rd Class (2025/26): 150 pupils fewer.
- 150Junior Infants2021/22
- 149Senior Infants2022/23
- 1531st Class2023/24
- 1502nd Class2024/25
- 03rd Class2025/26
Started Junior Infants in 2020/21
150 in Junior Infants (2020/21), 0 in 4th Class (2025/26): 150 pupils fewer.
- 150Junior Infants2020/21
- 145Senior Infants2021/22
- 1461st Class2022/23
- 1572nd Class2023/24
- 04th Class2025/26
In Senior Infants in 2020/21
166 in Senior Infants (2020/21), 0 in 5th Class (2025/26): 166 pupils fewer.
- 166Senior Infants2020/21
- 1691st Class2021/22
- 1692nd Class2022/23
- 05th Class2025/26
In 1st Class in 2020/21
156 in 1st Class (2020/21), 0 in 6th Class (2025/26): 156 pupils fewer.
- 1561st Class2020/21
- 1552nd Class2021/22
- 06th Class2025/26
Biggest one-year changes in a class
- +171st Class in 2025/26 (147 to 164)
- −231st Class in 2022/23 (169 to 146)
Class sizes
Mainstream class groups, 2016/17 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, 2016/17 to 2025/26
Teachers
Who teaches at Holy Family Junior School, 2016/17 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
40.2teaching posts
Our estimate: about 40 teachers.
- Class teachersOne for each of the 25 mainstream classes 25
- PrincipalRuns the school and doesn't teach a class 1
- Deputy principalDoesn't teach a class either, as larger schools and those with five or more special classes have one 1
- Special education teachers280 hours of support teaching a week 11.2
- Special class teachersFor an autism class and a speech and language class 2
8.83 special needs assistants (SNAs) also work with pupils. 14 pupils are in special classes, which the class sizes leave out.
The NCSE has allocated 11.2 special education teachers, 3 special class teachers and 10.5 SNAs for next year.
Teachers since 2016/17
Teachers each school year, by role
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 Holy Family Junior School, measured in a straight line. Pupil numbers are for 2025/26.
| Number on map | School | Distance | Pupils | Since 2015/16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holy Family Junior SchoolThis school | – | 599 | – | |
| 1 | Holy Family Senior School0.1 km · Portlaoise | 0.1 km | 644 | – |
| 2 | Portlaoise Educate Together NS0.5 km · Portlaoise · Multi-denominational | 0.5 km | 457 |
+29.1%
|
| 3 | Maryboro N S0.5 km · Portlaoise · Church of Ireland | 0.5 km | 96 |
−1.0%
|
| 4 | Gaelscoil Phort Laoise0.5 km · Portlaoise · Gaelscoil | 0.5 km | 369 |
+24.2%
|
| 5 | Scoil Bhride NS2.7 km · Portlaoise · DEIS | 2.7 km | 727 |
−3.8%
|
| 6 | Fraoch Mor N S4.6 km · Laois | 4.6 km | 212 |
−6.6%
|
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
- Enda Hickey
- Phone
- 0578688224
- [email protected]
- Address
- Aughnaharna, Summerhill, Portlaoise, R32 CY05
School
- Ethos
- Catholic
- Patron
- Bishop of Kildare & Leighlin
- School type
- Ordinary with Special Classes
- School level
- Junior
- DEIS
- Not DEIS
Language and area
- Irish classification
- No subjects through Irish
- Gaeltacht
- Non-Gaeltacht
- Island
- Not on an island
- Local authority
- Laois County Council
- Planning area
- Portlaoise
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
10 school years from 2016/17 to 2025/26. Class figures start in 2020/21.
| Year | Total | Girls | Boys | JI | SI | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | 599 | 308 | 291 | 131 | 143 | 164 | 161 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024/25 | 601 | 302 | 299 | 140 | 158 | 147 | 150 | – | – | – | – |
| 2023/24 | 623 | 311 | 312 | 157 | 148 | 153 | 157 | – | – | – | – |
| 2022/23 | 627 | 295 | 332 | 150 | 149 | 146 | 169 | – | – | – | – |
| 2021/22 | 632 | 302 | 330 | 150 | 145 | 169 | 155 | – | – | – | – |
| 2020/21 | 648 | 315 | 333 | 150 | 166 | 156 | 163 | – | – | – | – |
| 2019/20 | 655 | 320 | 335 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2018/19 | 670 | 330 | 340 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2017/18 | 678 | 331 | 347 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2016/17 | 684 | 339 | 345 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |