ONLY one secondary school in Limerick has less students than it has places available, new figures reveal.
Coláiste Mhuire in Askeaton is the only school in Limerick city or county that is undersubscribed, according to figures published in the Irish Times.
The school in the County Limerick town has 304 students enrolled currently, making it the school with the second lowest number of students in Limerick, second only to Murroe’s Glenstal Abbey.
Every other school in the county is currently at full subscription, oversubscribed, or had no data available on its subscription status.
Castletroy College is the school with the highest number of currently enrolled pupils, with 1,278 students attending classes there.
Only two schools in the county were at full capacity but not over, John the Baptist Community School in Hospital with 1,041 students enrolled, and Scoil Pól in Kilfinnane, which has 723 students.
Hazlewood College in Dromcollogher currently has 589 students enrolled, making it oversubscribed, as was Coláiste Chiaráin in Croom which has 748 students.
Subscription data was unavailable for Coláiste Íde agus Iosaf in Abbeyfeale, Desmond College and Scoil Mhuire and Íde in Newcastle West, Coláiste na Trocaire in Rathkeale, Salesian Secondary College in Pallaskenry, Coláiste Iósaef in Kilmallock, and Scoil na Tríonóide Naofa in Doon.
Looking at Limerick City schools, every school for which data was available was oversubscribed.
Crescent College Comprehensive in Dooradoyle currently has 937 students enrolled, while there was no data available on the subscription status of nearby Mungret Community College.
Laurel Hill Secondary School FCJ is also currently oversubscribed with 713 students, while Coláiste Nano Nagle, with 349 students and Ardscoil Rís with 727 students are also both oversubscribed.
The newly-opened Limerick City East Educate Together is also already oversubscribed with 612 students.
Thomond Community College has 612 students and St Munchin’s College had 678 students, both also being deemed oversubscribed.
There was no data available for Villiers School, Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ, St Clement’s College, Coláiste Michil, Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh or Ardscoil Mhuire.
Limerick Sinn Féin senator Paul Gavan said that the government needs to immediately address the delays in school capital planning in Limerick.
“Shortages of school places in this area are a result of poor planning
and delays in providing school buildings by government,” Senator Gavan said.
“They are also a direct failure of a broken modelling system, that focuses on capacity in existing schools, while failing to take demographic changes or decades of under-resourcing of schools into account.
“Some are being left with no other option but to get home tutoring as a result of enrolment pressure,” Senator Gavan claimed.
“Many parents and their children, who in some cases live within metres of their school, are not able to secure a school place for the next school year.
“Families and students in Limerick deserve better,” the Sinn Féin senator concluded.
