Bennekerry National School
Bennekerry, Co. Carlow · R93 D535 · Roll number 17501Q
Bennekerry National School is one of 3 primary schools in or within 3 km of Kernanstown. Every school in and around Kernanstown →
What stands out about Bennekerry National School
- One of the larger primary schools: 377 pupils, against a typical 131.
- About as many pupils as in 2019/20 (−11%).
- Teaches through English, with Irish as a subject.
- The smallest of the 3 primary schools around Kernanstown.
- Its patron is the Bishop of Kildare & Leighlin; its ethos is Catholic.
Pupils over time
2015/16 to 2025/26Bennekerry National School had 377 pupils in 2025/26, down from 433 in 2015/16 (−13%). Girls are 50% of them. Its roll rose in 1 of the 10 years.
Department of Education enrolments at 30 September each year; girls and boys where the lists give them.
No letter for Bennekerry National School
Ireland publishes no exam results school by school, and section 53 of the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing schools by them, so this school has no letter and nothing here ranks it. Its facts are the Department of Education’s; its inspection reports are linked below.
What the Department of Education does publish for Bennekerry National School is on this page: its pupils each September since 2015/16, girls and boys, its patron and ethos, whether it teaches through Irish, whether it is in DEIS, and its inspection reports.
Newspapers print lists of how many of a school’s leavers go on to college. Those count destinations, not exam results, and depend on who a school takes in; we don’t use them.
Inspection reports on Bennekerry National School
The Department of Education’s Inspectorate visits schools and publishes its reports. The reports describe what inspectors saw; they give no overall grade, and we don’t make one. Reports for this school on gov.ie ↗
Inspectors visit every kind of school. Whole-school evaluations look at teaching and learning, leadership and management; subject inspections look at one subject; follow-through inspections check whether earlier advice was taken. Each report is published on gov.ie with the school’s response.
Getting a place at Bennekerry National School
Every school admits under its own published admission policy; no admissions numbers are published.
Families apply to Bennekerry National School directly. Children can start once they are four and must be in school by six; the school’s yearly admission notice gives the dates for applying and for its decisions.
A school with more applicants than places admits on the criteria in its admission policy, often brothers and sisters, the area it serves and, for post-primary schools, its feeder primaries. A family refused a place can appeal.
No figures on applications are published, but the roll shows demand: Bennekerry National School has shrunk by 11% since 2019/20. All the schools around Kernanstown together changed by −7%.
Pupils since 2019/20
Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018; Department of Education enrolments 2019/20 and 2025/26 (preliminary).
Side by side with the nearest primary schools
2025/26The nearest schools of the same kind, as the crow flies: their pupils, ethos and language. No results: none are published.
Of the 6 nearest primary schools, 2 have more pupils than Bennekerry National School. Since 2019/20 its roll has changed by −11%; 2 of the 5 grew faster.
| School | Pupils | Since 2019/20 | Ethos | Language | DEIS | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bennekerry National School | 377 | −11% | Catholic | English | ||
| Gaelscoil Eoghain Uí Thuairisc | 444 | −7% | Catholic | All in Irish | 2.9 km | |
| Holy Family National School | 592 | – | Catholic | English | ✓ | 3 km |
| S.N. Muire Gan Smal | 345 | −17% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 3.7 km |
| Scoil Nais Iosef Naofa | 111 | −19% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 3.7 km |
| Bishop Foley Memorial School Boys Snr Sch | 165 | −34% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 3.9 km |
| S.N. Ceatharlach | 137 | +3% | Church of Ireland | English | 4.3 km |
The other 34 primary schools in Co. Carlow
| School | Pupils | Since 2019/20 | Ethos | Language | DEIS | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fr Cullen Memorial N.S. | 231 | +21% | Catholic | English | 4.3 km | |
| Carlow Educate Together NS | 389 | +8% | Multi-denominational | English | ✓ | 4.8 km |
| S N Naomh Fhiach | 570 | −3% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 5.2 km |
| Scoil Nais Bhride | 190 | −15% | Catholic | English | 5.9 km | |
| Rathoe N.S. | 175 | −1% | Catholic | English | 6.7 km | |
| Ballinabranna Mxd N.S. | 184 | −6% | Catholic | English | 9.1 km | |
| Our Lady's National School | 26 | −24% | Catholic | English | 9.6 km | |
| S.N. Fiontain Naofa | 41 | +58% | Catholic | English | 9.6 km | |
| St Columbas N.S. | 93 | +58% | Church of Ireland | English | ✓ | 9.7 km |
| S.N. Phadraig Naofa | 150 | −40% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 9.7 km |
| S.N. Muire Lourdes | 195 | −22% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 9.7 km |
| Newtown Dunleckney Mxd | 144 | −1% | Catholic | English | 12 km | |
| S.N. Peadar agus Pol | 239 | −15% | Catholic | English | 12 km | |
| St Laserians Mxd N.S. | 182 | +3% | Catholic | English | 13 km | |
| St Patricks N.S. | 207 | −2% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 13 km |
| Scoil Muire Gan Smal | 61 | −6% | Catholic | English | 14 km | |
| Scoil Nais Molaise | 123 | +15% | Catholic | English | 15 km | |
| St Bridgets Monastery Boys Senior School | 134 | −9% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 16 km |
| Queen of Universe N.S. | 253 | −2% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 16 km |
| St Marys N.S. | 90 | −15% | Church of Ireland | English | 16 km | |
| Ballyconnell N.S. | 199 | +20% | Catholic | English | 16 km | |
| S.N. Nmh Fhingin | 34 | −6% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 17 km |
| S.N. Fhoirtcheirn/Fhinin | 106 | −12% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 17 km |
| S.N. Treasa Naomha | 52 | −26% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 18 km |
| Scoil Nais Mhuire | 59 | −19% | Catholic | English | 19 km | |
| S.N. Cill Damhain | 87 | −16% | Catholic | English | 20 km | |
| Baile an Chuilinn N.S. | 126 | +5% | Catholic | English | 21 km | |
| S N Cluain na nGall | 146 | +13% | Catholic | English | 21 km | |
| St Josephs N.S. | 149 | +3% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 21 km |
| Borris Mxd N.S. | 196 | −9% | Catholic | English | 26 km | |
| St Patrick's National School | 32 | −22% | Catholic | English | 29 km | |
| Scoil Nais Mhichil | 42 | −16% | Catholic | English | 32 km | |
| Scoil N Moling-Glynn | 51 | −2% | Catholic | English | 37 km | |
| St Brendans N.S. | 30 | +30% | Catholic | English | 40 km |
Living in Kernanstown
The town’s figures, not this street’s.
Homes in the R93 Eircode area
Housing in Kernanstown →The median sale price rose from €250,000 in 2023 to €287,200 in 2025 (+15%).
New against second-hand, 2023 to 2025
Property Price Register sales in the R93 Eircode routing area, 2023 to 2025.
Renting in Co. Carlow
Cost of living in Kernanstown →New tenancies in Co. Carlow averaged €1,316 a month in 2025, against €1,199 in 2024 (+10%).
Residential Tenancies Board rent index, new tenancies, 2024 and 2025.
Location
Directions ↗Kernanstown, R93 D535
Primary schools near Bennekerry National School
Nearest first, as the crow flies, up to 25 km. Each school’s own admission policy decides who gets a place.
Questions about Bennekerry National School
Is Bennekerry National School a good school?
We don’t grade it: Ireland publishes no exam results school by school, and section 53 of the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing them. Its inspection reports on gov.ie, a visit and a talk with the principal will tell you more than any table could.
How many pupils does Bennekerry National School have?
377 pupils in 2025/26. That is −11% since 2019/20.
Does Bennekerry National School teach through Irish?
No: Bennekerry National School teaches in English, with Irish as a subject.
Who runs Bennekerry National School?
Bennekerry National School has a Catholic ethos. Its patron is Bishop of Kildare & Leighlin.
How do pupils get a place at Bennekerry National School?
Apply to the school directly. It publishes an admission policy and a yearly admission notice with its dates; if more children apply than it has places, it admits on the criteria in its policy.
Which schools of the same kind are near Bennekerry National School?
The nearest are Gaelscoil Eoghain Uí Thuairisc (2.9 km), Holy Family National School (3 km) and S.N. Muire Gan Smal (3.7 km).
Sources: Department of Education, school lists 2025/26 (preliminary) and enrolments since 2015/16, CC BY 4.0 · inspection reports on gov.ie, linked by roll number. Under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
Facts from the Department of Education’s school lists. Listed with Kernanstown; nothing here rates the school.
Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).