Réalt na Mara School
Dundalk · Roll number 20339E
- Catholic ethos
- Not DEIS
- Ordinary with Special Classes
- Pupils in 2025/26
- 467
- +12 on 2024/25
- Over 10 years
- +6%
- Up 27 from 440 in 2015/16
- Girls and boys
- 214 / 253
- 46% girls
Pupils since 2009
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
467 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 | 56 | 44 | 42 | 68 | 44 | 74 | 54.7 |
| Senior Infants | 55 | 54 | 46 | 47 | 67 | 46 | 52.5 |
| 1st Class | 53 | 56 | 52 | 49 | 47 | 72 | 54.8 |
| 2nd Class | 53 | 50 | 58 | 55 | 48 | 46 | 51.7 |
| 3rd Class | 56 | 52 | 53 | 58 | 54 | 56 | 54.8 |
| 4th Class | 55 | 53 | 57 | 52 | 57 | 61 | 55.8 |
| 5th Class | 57 | 55 | 54 | 55 | 53 | 60 | 55.7 |
| 6th Class | 51 | 57 | 58 | 54 | 55 | 52 | 54.5 |
JI and SI are Junior and Senior Infants.
Started Junior Infants in 2024/25
44 in Junior Infants (2024/25), 46 in Senior Infants (2025/26): 2 pupils more.
- 44Junior Infants2024/25
- 46Senior Infants2025/26
Started Junior Infants in 2023/24
68 in Junior Infants (2023/24), 72 in 1st Class (2025/26): 4 pupils more.
- 68Junior Infants2023/24
- 67Senior Infants2024/25
- 721st Class2025/26
Started Junior Infants in 2022/23
42 in Junior Infants (2022/23), 46 in 2nd Class (2025/26): 4 pupils more.
- 42Junior Infants2022/23
- 47Senior Infants2023/24
- 471st Class2024/25
- 462nd Class2025/26
Started Junior Infants in 2021/22
44 in Junior Infants (2021/22), 56 in 3rd Class (2025/26): 12 pupils more.
- 44Junior Infants2021/22
- 46Senior Infants2022/23
- 491st Class2023/24
- 482nd Class2024/25
- 563rd Class2025/26
Started Junior Infants in 2020/21
56 in Junior Infants (2020/21), 61 in 4th Class (2025/26): 5 pupils more.
- 56Junior Infants2020/21
- 54Senior Infants2021/22
- 521st Class2022/23
- 552nd Class2023/24
- 543rd Class2024/25
- 614th Class2025/26
In Senior Infants in 2020/21
55 in Senior Infants (2020/21), 60 in 5th Class (2025/26): 5 pupils more.
- 55Senior Infants2020/21
- 561st Class2021/22
- 582nd Class2022/23
- 583rd Class2023/24
- 574th Class2024/25
- 605th Class2025/26
In 1st Class in 2020/21
53 in 1st Class (2020/21), 52 in 6th Class (2025/26): 1 pupil fewer.
- 531st Class2020/21
- 502nd Class2021/22
- 533rd Class2022/23
- 524th Class2023/24
- 535th Class2024/25
- 526th Class2025/26
In 2nd Class in 2020/21
53 in 2nd Class (2020/21), 55 in 6th Class (2024/25): 2 pupils more.
- 532nd Class2020/21
- 523rd Class2021/22
- 574th Class2022/23
- 555th Class2023/24
- 556th Class2024/25
In 3rd Class in 2020/21
56 in 3rd Class (2020/21), 54 in 6th Class (2023/24): 2 pupils fewer.
- 563rd Class2020/21
- 534th Class2021/22
- 545th Class2022/23
- 546th Class2023/24
In 4th Class in 2020/21
55 in 4th Class (2020/21), 58 in 6th Class (2022/23): 3 pupils more.
- 554th Class2020/21
- 555th Class2021/22
- 586th Class2022/23
In 5th Class in 2020/21
57 in 5th Class (2020/21), 57 in 6th Class (2021/22): no change.
- 575th Class2020/21
- 576th Class2021/22
Biggest one-year changes in a class
- +30Junior Infants in 2025/26 (44 to 74)
- −24Junior Infants in 2024/25 (68 to 44)
Class sizes
Mainstream class groups, 2009/10 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, 2009/10 to 2025/26
Teachers
Who teaches at Réalt na Mara School, 2009/10 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
32.3teaching posts
Our estimate: about 32 teachers.
- Class teachersOne for each of the 19 mainstream classes 19
- 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 teachers157.5 hours of support teaching a week 6.3
- Special class teachersFor 4 autism classes and an early intervention class 5
18.32 special needs assistants (SNAs) also work with pupils. 30 pupils are in special classes, which the class sizes leave out.
The NCSE has allocated 6.5 special education teachers, 5 special class teachers and 18.82 SNAs for next year.
Teachers since 2009/10
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 Réalt na Mara School, measured in a straight line. Pupil numbers are for 2025/26.
| Number on map | School | Distance | Pupils | Since 2015/16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Réalt na Mara SchoolThis school | – | 467 |
+6.1%
|
|
| 1 | Dun Dealgan N S0.4 km · Dundalk · Presbyterian | 0.4 km | 84 |
0.0%
|
| 2 | C.B.S. Primary0.6 km · Dundalk · DEIS | 0.6 km | 524 |
+18.8%
|
| 3 | S N San Nioclas0.7 km · Dundalk · Church of Ireland · DEIS | 0.7 km | 148 |
+22.3%
|
| 4 | Castletown RD Convent1.1 km · Dundalk · Girls · DEIS | 1.1 km | 191 |
+16.5%
|
| 5 | St Nicholas Monastery NS1.1 km · Dundalk · Boys · DEIS | 1.1 km | 164 |
−3.0%
|
| 6 | S N N Maolmhaodhagh B1.3 km · Dundalk · Boys | 1.3 km | 246 |
+22.4%
|
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
- Phil McCaul
- Phone
- 0429327230
- [email protected]
- Address
- Mill Street, Dundalk, Co. Louth, A91 TD3H
School
- Ethos
- Catholic
- Patron
- Archbishop of Armagh
- School type
- Ordinary with Special Classes
- School level
- All Through
- DEIS
- Not DEIS
Language and area
- Irish classification
- No subjects through Irish
- Gaeltacht
- Non-Gaeltacht
- Island
- Not on an island
- Local authority
- Louth County Council
- Planning area
- Dundalk
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
17 school years from 2009/10 to 2025/26. Class figures start in 2020/21.
| Year | Total | Girls | Boys | JI | SI | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | 467 | 214 | 253 | 74 | 46 | 72 | 46 | 56 | 61 | 60 | 52 |
| 2024/25 | 455 | 207 | 248 | 44 | 67 | 47 | 48 | 54 | 57 | 53 | 55 |
| 2023/24 | 468 | 212 | 256 | 68 | 47 | 49 | 55 | 58 | 52 | 55 | 54 |
| 2022/23 | 450 | 205 | 245 | 42 | 46 | 52 | 58 | 53 | 57 | 54 | 58 |
| 2021/22 | 450 | 215 | 235 | 44 | 54 | 56 | 50 | 52 | 53 | 55 | 57 |
| 2020/21 | 465 | 231 | 234 | 56 | 55 | 53 | 53 | 56 | 55 | 57 | 51 |
| 2019/20 | 466 | 224 | 242 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2018/19 | 464 | 228 | 236 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2017/18 | 449 | 216 | 233 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2016/17 | 441 | 208 | 233 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2015/16 | 440 | 208 | 232 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2014/15 | 421 | 205 | 216 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2013/14 | 408 | 199 | 209 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2012/13 | 400 | 201 | 199 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2011/12 | 388 | 192 | 196 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2010/11 | 406 | 212 | 194 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2009/10 | 395 | 209 | 186 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |