Scoil Nais Molaise
Parknakyle, Old Leighlin, Co. Carlow · R93 NX05 · Roll number 02124E
Scoil Nais Molaise is the only one of the primary schools in or within 3 km of Leighlinbridge. Every school in and around Leighlinbridge →
What stands out about Scoil Nais Molaise
- 123 pupils, near the middle for primary schools in Ireland (the median is 131).
- About as many pupils as in 2019/20 (+15%).
- Teaches through English, with Irish as a subject.
- Has special classes for children who need more support.
- Its patron is the Bishop of Kildare & Leighlin; its ethos is Catholic.
- Outside Leighlinbridge’s outline, 3.2 km away; listed with Leighlinbridge, the nearest town in its county.
Pupils over time
2015/16 to 2025/26Scoil Nais Molaise had 123 pupils in 2025/26, down from 138 in 2015/16 (−11%). Girls are 45% of them. Its roll rose in 4 of the 10 years.
Department of Education enrolments at 30 September each year; girls and boys where the lists give them.
No letter for Scoil Nais Molaise
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 Scoil Nais Molaise 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 Scoil Nais Molaise
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 Scoil Nais Molaise
Every school admits under its own published admission policy; no admissions numbers are published.
Families apply to Scoil Nais Molaise 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.
Places in special classes and special schools are allocated with the National Council for Special Education.
No figures on applications are published, but the roll shows demand: Scoil Nais Molaise has grown by 15% since 2019/20. All the schools around Leighlinbridge together changed by +3%.
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, 4 have more pupils than Scoil Nais Molaise. Since 2019/20 its roll has changed by +15%; 0 of the 5 grew faster.
| School | Pupils | Since 2019/20 | Ethos | Language | DEIS | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scoil Nais Molaise | 123 | +15% | Catholic | English | ||
| St Laserians Mxd N.S. | 182 | +3% | Catholic | English | 4.2 km | |
| Ballinabranna Mxd N.S. | 184 | −6% | Catholic | English | 6.1 km | |
| Queen of Universe N.S. | 253 | −2% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 6.4 km |
| Bhride N.S. | 13 | – | Catholic | English | ✓ | 6.4 km |
| Scoil Bhride B7C | 217 | −15% | Catholic | English | 6.4 km | |
| St Marys N.S. | 90 | −15% | Church of Ireland | English | 6.6 km |
The other 36 primary schools in Co. Carlow
| School | Pupils | Since 2019/20 | Ethos | Language | DEIS | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Bridgets Monastery Boys Senior School | 134 | −9% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 6.9 km |
| Our Lady's National School | 26 | −24% | Catholic | English | 8.3 km | |
| Newtown Dunleckney Mxd | 144 | −1% | Catholic | English | 11 km | |
| Fr Cullen Memorial N.S. | 231 | +21% | Catholic | English | 11 km | |
| S.N. Ceatharlach | 137 | +3% | Church of Ireland | English | 12 km | |
| Baile an Chuilinn N.S. | 126 | +5% | Catholic | English | 12 km | |
| S N Naomh Fhiach | 570 | −3% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 12 km |
| Gaelscoil Eoghain Uí Thuairisc | 444 | −7% | Catholic | All in Irish | 13 km | |
| S.N. Muire Gan Smal | 345 | −17% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 13 km |
| Scoil Nais Iosef Naofa | 111 | −19% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 13 km |
| Bishop Foley Memorial School Boys Snr Sch | 165 | −34% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 13 km |
| Holy Family National School | 592 | – | Catholic | English | ✓ | 13 km |
| S.N. Nmh Fhingin | 34 | −6% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 14 km |
| Carlow Educate Together NS | 389 | +8% | Multi-denominational | English | ✓ | 15 km |
| Bennekerry National School | 377 | −11% | Catholic | English | 15 km | |
| Scoil Nais Mhuire | 59 | −19% | Catholic | English | 16 km | |
| Rathoe N.S. | 175 | −1% | Catholic | English | 17 km | |
| Borris Mxd N.S. | 196 | −9% | Catholic | English | 17 km | |
| S.N. Peadar agus Pol | 239 | −15% | Catholic | English | 18 km | |
| S.N. Fhoirtcheirn/Fhinin | 106 | −12% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 18 km |
| Scoil Nais Bhride | 190 | −15% | Catholic | English | 20 km | |
| S.N. Muire Lourdes | 195 | −22% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 21 km |
| S.N. Phadraig Naofa | 150 | −40% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 21 km |
| St Columbas N.S. | 93 | +58% | Church of Ireland | English | ✓ | 21 km |
| St Patrick's National School | 32 | −22% | Catholic | English | 22 km | |
| Scoil Muire Gan Smal | 61 | −6% | Catholic | English | 22 km | |
| Scoil Nais Mhichil | 42 | −16% | Catholic | English | 23 km | |
| S.N. Fiontain Naofa | 41 | +58% | Catholic | English | 24 km | |
| S.N. Cill Damhain | 87 | −16% | Catholic | English | 24 km | |
| S N Cluain na nGall | 146 | +13% | Catholic | English | 26 km | |
| Scoil N Moling-Glynn | 51 | −2% | Catholic | English | 28 km | |
| St Patricks N.S. | 207 | −2% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 28 km |
| Ballyconnell N.S. | 199 | +20% | Catholic | English | 28 km | |
| St Brendans N.S. | 30 | +30% | Catholic | English | 31 km | |
| S.N. Treasa Naomha | 52 | −26% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 33 km |
| St Josephs N.S. | 149 | +3% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 35 km |
Living in Leighlinbridge
The town’s figures, not this street’s.
Homes in the R93 Eircode area
Housing in Leighlinbridge →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 Leighlinbridge →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 ↗near Leighlinbridge, R93 NX05
Primary schools near Scoil Nais Molaise
Nearest first, as the crow flies, up to 25 km. Each school’s own admission policy decides who gets a place.
Questions about Scoil Nais Molaise
Is Scoil Nais Molaise 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 Scoil Nais Molaise have?
123 pupils in 2025/26. That is +15% since 2019/20.
Does Scoil Nais Molaise teach through Irish?
No: Scoil Nais Molaise teaches in English, with Irish as a subject.
Who runs Scoil Nais Molaise?
Scoil Nais Molaise has a Catholic ethos. Its patron is Bishop of Kildare & Leighlin.
How do pupils get a place at Scoil Nais Molaise?
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 Scoil Nais Molaise?
The nearest are St Laserians Mxd N.S. (4.2 km), Ballinabranna Mxd N.S. (6.1 km) and Queen of Universe N.S. (6.4 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 Leighlinbridge; 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).