Kilmaine Primary School in Bangor is celebrating its 50th anniversary during the 2025-26 academic year, with many of its earliest pupils now sending their children to the school.

The school opened in September 1975 with 109 pupils and five teachers on the east side of Bangor. It expanded rapidly alongside new housing developments, exceeding 700 pupils in the 1980s and reaching more than 1,000 in the 1990s.

Raymond Boyd served as the founding principal until 2001. He remains a familiar figure in the area and recently attended a 50th anniversary exhibition and read at a special carol service.

A nursery unit providing 52 part-time places opened in October 2000. John Mann, who succeeded Mr Boyd as principal and has since died, oversaw a move into a purpose-built school building in 2005. That development replaced 46 temporary mobile classrooms that had been used for years.

William Campbell led the school from 2014 to 2019. Rachael Sinnamon, a former pupil, is now principal. The school’s motto is “Everyone Counts”.

North Down MLA Alan Chambers, whose children attended Kilmaine, attended the anniversary exhibition. He said parents are grateful for the dedication of staff over five decades and that he is confident the school will continue to thrive under its current leadership.