St Columbas N.S.
Dublin Road, Tullow, Co. Carlow · R93 R266 · Roll number 13607M
St Columbas N.S. is one of 3 primary schools in or within 3 km of Tullow. Every school in and around Tullow →
What stands out about St Columbas N.S.
- 93 pupils, near the middle for primary schools in Ireland (the median is 131).
- Teaches through English, with Irish as a subject.
- Growing: 93 pupils, 58% more than the 59 of 2019/20.
- In DEIS. DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) gives schools serving disadvantaged areas more teachers, money and support; the Department decides which schools are in it.
- The smallest of the 3 primary schools around Tullow.
- Its patron is the Bishop of Cashel, Ferns & Ossory COI; its ethos is Church of Ireland.
Pupils over time
2015/16 to 2025/26St Columbas N.S. had 93 pupils in 2025/26, against 74 in 2015/16 (+26%). Girls are 48% of them. Its largest roll was 97, in 2023/24. Its roll rose in 5 of the 10 years.
Department of Education enrolments at 30 September each year; girls and boys where the lists give them.
No letter for St Columbas N.S.
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 St Columbas N.S. 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 St Columbas N.S.
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 St Columbas N.S.
Every school admits under its own published admission policy; no admissions numbers are published.
Families apply to St Columbas N.S. 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.
It is in DEIS, so it has extra support for pupils from disadvantaged areas.
No figures on applications are published, but the roll shows demand: St Columbas N.S. has grown by 58% since 2019/20. All the schools around Tullow together changed by +6%.
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 St Columbas N.S.. Since 2019/20 its roll has changed by +58%; 1 of the 6 grew faster.
| School | Pupils | Since 2019/20 | Ethos | Language | DEIS | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Columbas N.S. | 93 | +58% | Church of Ireland | English | ✓ | |
| S.N. Phadraig Naofa | 150 | −40% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 0.1 km |
| S.N. Muire Lourdes | 195 | −22% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 0.4 km |
| Rathoe N.S. | 175 | −1% | Catholic | English | 4.9 km | |
| Scoil Nais Bhride | 190 | −15% | Catholic | English | 5 km | |
| Scoil Muire Gan Smal | 61 | −6% | Catholic | English | 5.6 km | |
| S.N. Fiontain Naofa | 41 | +58% | Catholic | English | 6 km |
The other 34 primary schools in Co. Carlow
| School | Pupils | Since 2019/20 | Ethos | Language | DEIS | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballyconnell N.S. | 199 | +20% | Catholic | English | 7 km | |
| S.N. Peadar agus Pol | 239 | −15% | Catholic | English | 7.7 km | |
| St Patricks N.S. | 207 | −2% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 8.9 km |
| Bennekerry National School | 377 | −11% | Catholic | English | 9.7 km | |
| Fr Cullen Memorial N.S. | 231 | +21% | Catholic | English | 11 km | |
| Gaelscoil Eoghain Uí Thuairisc | 444 | −7% | Catholic | All in Irish | 12 km | |
| S.N. Treasa Naomha | 52 | −26% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 12 km |
| Holy Family National School | 592 | – | Catholic | English | ✓ | 13 km |
| Newtown Dunleckney Mxd | 144 | −1% | Catholic | English | 13 km | |
| S N Cluain na nGall | 146 | +13% | Catholic | English | 13 km | |
| S.N. Muire Gan Smal | 345 | −17% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 13 km |
| Scoil Nais Iosef Naofa | 111 | −19% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 13 km |
| S.N. Fhoirtcheirn/Fhinin | 106 | −12% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 13 km |
| Our Lady's National School | 26 | −24% | Catholic | English | 14 km | |
| Bishop Foley Memorial School Boys Snr Sch | 165 | −34% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 14 km |
| St Josephs N.S. | 149 | +3% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 14 km |
| S.N. Cill Damhain | 87 | −16% | Catholic | English | 14 km | |
| S.N. Ceatharlach | 137 | +3% | Church of Ireland | English | 14 km | |
| Carlow Educate Together NS | 389 | +8% | Multi-denominational | English | ✓ | 14 km |
| S N Naomh Fhiach | 570 | −3% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 15 km |
| S.N. Nmh Fhingin | 34 | −6% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 16 km |
| Ballinabranna Mxd N.S. | 184 | −6% | Catholic | English | 17 km | |
| Scoil Nais Mhuire | 59 | −19% | Catholic | English | 18 km | |
| St Laserians Mxd N.S. | 182 | +3% | Catholic | English | 18 km | |
| St Bridgets Monastery Boys Senior School | 134 | −9% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 19 km |
| St Marys N.S. | 90 | −15% | Church of Ireland | English | 19 km | |
| Queen of Universe N.S. | 253 | −2% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 19 km |
| Scoil Nais Molaise | 123 | +15% | Catholic | English | 21 km | |
| Baile an Chuilinn N.S. | 126 | +5% | Catholic | English | 22 km | |
| Borris Mxd N.S. | 196 | −9% | Catholic | English | 26 km | |
| St Patrick's National School | 32 | −22% | Catholic | English | 27 km | |
| Scoil Nais Mhichil | 42 | −16% | Catholic | English | 31 km | |
| Scoil N Moling-Glynn | 51 | −2% | Catholic | English | 36 km | |
| St Brendans N.S. | 30 | +30% | Catholic | English | 39 km |
Living in Tullow
The town’s figures, not this street’s.
Homes in the R93 Eircode area
Housing in Tullow →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 Tullow
Cost of living in Tullow →New tenancies in Tullow averaged €1,311 a month in 2025, against €1,203 in 2024 (+9%).
Residential Tenancies Board rent index, new tenancies, 2024 and 2025.
Location
Directions ↗Tullow, R93 R266
Primary schools near St Columbas N.S.
Nearest first, as the crow flies, up to 25 km. Each school’s own admission policy decides who gets a place.
Questions about St Columbas N.S.
Is St Columbas N.S. 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 St Columbas N.S. have?
93 pupils in 2025/26. That is +58% since 2019/20.
Does St Columbas N.S. teach through Irish?
No: St Columbas N.S. teaches in English, with Irish as a subject.
Who runs St Columbas N.S.?
St Columbas N.S. has a Church of Ireland ethos. Its patron is Bishop of Cashel, Ferns & Ossory COI.
How do pupils get a place at St Columbas N.S.?
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 St Columbas N.S.?
The nearest are S.N. Phadraig Naofa (0.1 km), S.N. Muire Lourdes (0.4 km) and Rathoe N.S. (4.9 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 Tullow; 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).