Photo: C O'Flanagan · CC BY-SA 2.0More of the post-primaries around Ardnacrusha are single-sex than around Co. Clare’s towns or Irish towns: 100%
Of the post-primaries around Ardnacrusha, 100% are single-sex, above both Co. Clare’s towns (13%) and Irish towns (39%). St Munchin's College, with 682 pupils, is the only secondary school within 3 km. Nothing here grades or ranks these schools: Ireland publishes no results school by school, and the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing them.
Counted from the Department of Education’s 2025/26 lists: every school in the town or within 3 km of it, against every school in Ireland.
What stands out about Ardnacrusha’s schools
A wide choice at twelve
Families here can choose among 14 post-primary schools within 10 km of the town, of more than one kind; each admits on its own published policy, so applying to more than one is common. The nearest: St Munchin's College (3.1 km), Thomond Community College (4.3 km) and Ardscoil Mhuire (4.4 km). Post-primary choices ↓
Facts from the Department of Education’s lists; nothing here judges how well a school teaches.
Who runs Ardnacrusha’s schools
Each school’s ethos, 2025/26: the bars show the share of schools of each kind.
5 of Ardnacrusha’s 5 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Bishop of Limerick (4) and Bishop of Killaloe (1). 1 of the 5 are in DEIS, the extra support for schools in disadvantaged areas (30% across Ireland).
Department of Education school lists: ethos 2025/26, patron 2024/25 (the 2025/26 lists don’t give it). DEIS list 2025/26.
The 5 schools in and around Ardnacrusha
Each school in or within 3 km of Ardnacrusha links to a page of its own. Results by school aren’t published in Ireland, so the cards carry none.
Where the 5 schools in and around Ardnacrusha are
Each school where the official list places it, shaded by who runs it and sized by pupils; squares are secondary schools, triangles special schools. The dashed shape is Ardnacrusha’s outline; schools within 3 km of it count.
Places from the Department of Education’s school lists (its own coordinates for all but a handful); map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Teaching through Irish in and around Ardnacrusha
The schools by teaching language, with Ireland’s share as the black tick.
None of the 5 schools in and around Ardnacrusha teaches every subject through Irish.
Who Ardnacrusha’s schools serve
Shares of the pupils at the area’s schools, beside Co. Clare’s and Ireland’s, 2025/26
Each bar is the area’s share; the tick marks Ireland’s.
DEIS by stage: pupils at DEIS schools
| Share of pupils | Around Ardnacrusha | Co. Clare | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 17% | 18% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 0% | 3% | 6% |
| Girls | 34% | 50% | 49% |
Around Ardnacrusha, 17% of pupils attend a school in DEIS; across Ireland it is 27%, and 18% in Co. Clare. Set beside Ireland, girls stand out most: 34% against 49%. The largest DEIS school here is Corpus Christi N.S., with 403 pupils.
Each of the 5 schools
| School | Pupils | Girls | DEIS | All-Irish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S.N. an Phairtin MixedPrimary | 317 | 51% | ||
| St Munchin's CollegePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 682 | 0% | ||
| Scoil Seanain NaofaPrimary | 276 | 44% | ||
| Corpus Christi N.S.Primary | 403 | 50% | ✓ | |
| Scoil IdePrimary | 654 | 48% |
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary): enrolments by sex and the DEIS list. Shares are of pupils, not of schools; a county’s are the schools listed with its towns.
The 2 patrons of Ardnacrusha’s schools
The patron owns the school and sets its ethos; a board of management runs it day to day.
The schools around Ardnacrusha answer to 2 patrons, and Bishop of Limerick leads with 4 of the 5 schools and 88% of their pupils.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop of LimerickSt Munchin's College, Scoil Ide, Corpus Christi, S.N. an Phairtin Mixed | Catholic | 4 | 2,056 |
| Bishop of KillaloeScoil Seanain Naofa | Catholic | 1 | 276 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Ardnacrusha
Starting primary school
Children can start primary school once they are four, and must be in school by six. Families apply to each school directly. Every school publishes an admission policy and a yearly admission notice; a school with more applicants than places admits on the criteria in its policy. Since the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018, a Catholic or other majority-faith primary school can’t put baptised children first; a school of a minority faith still can, to keep its ethos.
Moving to secondary school
Children move to post-primary school at about twelve, after sixth class. Again, families apply to each school, usually a year or more ahead, and an oversubscribed school admits on its published criteria, often brothers and sisters and its feeder primary schools.
Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018; each school’s admission policy and notice are on its own website.
Which schools are growing
Of these 5 schools, 1 have grown by at least 5% since 2019/20 and 2 have lost as much; Ireland’s pupils changed by +5%.
Department of Education enrolments at 30 September, 2019/20 and 2025/26 (preliminary). No capacity is published, so how full a school is can’t be shown.
Inspection reports for Ardnacrusha’s schools
The Inspectorate’s published reports for each school, linked, without ratings
The Inspectorate inspects schools in several ways: a whole-school evaluation covers teaching, learning and how the school is led; a subject inspection looks at one subject; a follow-through checks on earlier advice. Reports go on gov.ie with the school’s reply.
Reports say what inspectors found and what should improve, without an overall grade, so none appears here; each of the 5 schools below links its own.
| School | Reports on gov.ie |
|---|---|
| S.N. an Phairtin MixedPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| St Munchin's CollegePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Scoil Seanain NaofaPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Corpus Christi N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Scoil IdePrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
Department of Education Inspectorate reports on gov.ie, found by each school’s roll number.
Post-primary schools within reach of Ardnacrusha
All post-primaries within 10 km; at about twelve, families choose and apply school by school
Families in Ardnacrusha have 14 post-primary schools within 10 km: 10 voluntary secondary schools, 3 ETB schools and one comprehensive school. 7 of them are single-sex, 3 for girls and 4 for boys. One of them charges fees. Every subject is taught through Irish at 2 of them.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Munchin's CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 682 | 3.1 km |
| Thomond Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 597 | 4.3 km |
| Ardscoil MhuireVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 591 | 4.4 km |
| Gaelcholáiste LuimnighETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 606 | 4.9 km |
| Ardscoil RisVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 728 | 5.3 km |
| Coláiste Nano NagleVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 365 | 5.6 km |
| Colaiste MhichilVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | DEIS | 349 | 5.7 km |
| Villiers Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Church of Ireland | Girls and boys | Fee-paying, Boarding | 508 | 6.2 km |
| St Clements CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | DEIS | 411 | 6.3 km |
| Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | Gaelcholáiste | 315 | 6.3 km |
| Laurel Hill Secondary School FCJVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 746 | 6.4 km |
| Limerick City East Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 811 | 6.7 km |
All 14 post-primary schools within reach
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castletroy CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,360 | 7 km |
| Crescent College ComprehensiveComprehensive · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 922 | 8.4 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Ardnacrusha
No special school is in or near Ardnacrusha. 2 of the 4 primary schools have special classes for children who need more support. Their cards ↑
Special schools and primary schools with special classes as the Department lists them; the National Council for Special Education places pupils in special classes.
Ardnacrusha beside the 124 other Irish towns of 900 to 1,700 people
Schools in or within 3 km of each town, by population; none is ranked, as Ireland publishes no results
| Town | People | Schools | Pupils | All-Irish | DEIS schools | Nearest post-primary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tullyallen | 1,697 | 1 | 411 | 0 | 0% | 3.7 km |
| … | ||||||
| Carnew | 1,233 | 4 | 1,150 | 0 | 50% | 0.3 km |
| Castlebellingham-Kilsaran | 1,232 | 3 | 506 | 0 | 0% | 7.7 km |
| Kiltimagh | 1,232 | 2 | 963 | 0 | 0% | 0.3 km |
| Rathkeale | 1,231 | 5 | 971 | 0 | 60% | 0.2 km |
| Ardnacrusha | 1,229 | 5 | 2,332 | 0 | 20% | 3.1 km |
| Adare | 1,224 | 4 | 446 | 0 | 0% | 6.6 km |
| Daingean | 1,223 | 1 | 261 | 0 | 100% | 13 km |
| Kilkee | 1,214 | 3 | 312 | 0 | 67% | 0.8 km |
| Clonee | 1,205 | 25 | 12,320 | 2 | 28% | 1.3 km |
| … | ||||||
| Clarinbridge | 905 | 2 | 451 | 0 | 0% | 5.5 km |
Among the 124 other towns, 9 have more pupils at their schools than Ardnacrusha does. An all-Irish school is within 3 km of 14 of the 125.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Pupil numbers around Ardnacrusha
Pupils every September at the schools in or within 3 km of the town, each counted at today’s site.
The schools in and around Ardnacrusha had 2,363 pupils in 2015/16 and 2,332 in 2025/26, fewer than before. Corpus Christi N.S. grew most: +22% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Ardnacrusha
Department of Education enrolments at 30 September each year, 2015/16 to 2025/26 (preliminary), for every school placed in the area today; schools that have since closed or merged count where they stood.
Schools in the towns around Ardnacrusha
For each nearby town, its schools in or within 3 km of its outline, with straight-line distances.
| Town | Schools | Pupils | All-Irish | DEIS schools | Nearest post-primary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ardnacrusha | 5 | 2,332 | 0 | 20% | 3.1 km |
| Westbury 3.2 km | 29 | 9,896 | 3 | 55% | 0.9 km |
| Ballynanty 4.1 km | 39 | 12,623 | 4 | 51% | 0.3 km |
| Corbally and King's Island 4.3 km | 45 | 15,801 | 6 | 49% | 0.2 km |
| Farranshone 5 km | 49 | 16,369 | 6 | 47% | 0.4 km |
| Caherdavin 5.2 km | 46 | 16,583 | 5 | 39% | 1 km |
| Limerick City Centre 5.4 km | 43 | 14,494 | 5 | 51% | 0.4 km |
Corbally and King's Island has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 6. Of Ardnacrusha’s neighbours, Westbury saw the most growth in pupils since 2019/20 (+8%) and Ballynanty the least (−1%); Ardnacrusha itself: −3%.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Ardnacrusha or within 3 km of its outline, as the Department places it: families here use them. Schools further out are on the map of each school’s own page.
- The kinds of school. Primary schools take children from junior infants to sixth class, about ages 4 to 12. Post-primary schools teach the Junior and Leaving Certificate, about ages 12 to 18: voluntary secondary schools (mostly with a religious patron), ETB schools and community colleges run by an Education and Training Board, and community and comprehensive schools. Special schools teach children with particular needs.
- Teaching through Irish. All-Irish: every subject taught through Irish, in the Gaeltacht or, outside it, a Gaelscoil or Gaelcholáiste. Partly in Irish: an Irish stream (some classes entirely through Irish) or some subjects through Irish. Every other school teaches Irish as a subject.
- 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.
- Ethos and patron. Most Irish schools are owned by a patron, mostly a church; the patron sets the school’s ethos. Multi-denominational schools (Educate Together, many ETB schools) teach children of every faith and none together.
- No grade. Section 53 of the Education Act 1998 lets the Minister refuse to release information that would allow schools’ exam results to be compared, and no results are published school by school. So Ireland’s schools have no letters and its towns no School Grade; nothing on this page ranks them.
- What isn’t here. What the UK and French pages show from results, these can’t: results charts, results against pupils’ backgrounds and towns ranked by their schools (no published results), and how full each school is (no capacity is published). Every post-primary school teaches to the Leaving Certificate, so there is no sixth-form split to show.
- Inspections. The Inspectorate’s reports are linked from each school’s page. They give no overall grade, so none is shown.
- The year. The 2025/26 lists are the Department’s preliminary release; numbers can change a little in the final lists.
Questions about schools in Ardnacrusha
How many schools are there in Ardnacrusha?
In Ardnacrusha or within 3 km of it: 4 primary schools and 1 secondary school, with 2,332 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Ardnacrusha that teach through Irish?
None in Ardnacrusha or within 3 km of it teaches every subject through Irish; some teach it as a subject only.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Ardnacrusha?
No: the secondary school here is free.
What is the best school in Ardnacrusha?
We don’t say. Ireland publishes no exam results school by school, and section 53 of the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing them; a ranking would rest on guesses. Each school’s page has its own facts and a link to its inspection reports, and visiting the schools you are weighing is still the best guide.
How do I get a place at a school in Ardnacrusha?
Apply to each school directly: every school publishes an admission policy and a yearly admission notice with its dates. If it has more applicants than places, it admits on the criteria in its policy.
Sources: Department of Education, school lists 2025/26 (preliminary) and enrolments since 2015/16, CC BY 4.0 · one school placed with OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL). Under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
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).