Photo: Graham Horn · CC BY-SA 2.0More of the post-primaries around Westbury are single-sex than around Co. Clare’s towns or Irish towns: 50%
On this, Westbury is above both Co. Clare’s towns (0%) and Irish towns (39%). 19 primary schools, 8 secondary schools and 2 special schools are in or within 3 km of Westbury, with 9,896 pupils between them. These schools are described rather than graded, because Ireland publishes no school results 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 Westbury’s schools
Extra support for many schools
Many schools here are in DEIS, which gives schools in disadvantaged areas more teachers, money and help; across Ireland, 30% of schools are. In DEIS: Thomond Community College (597), Ardscoil Mhuire (591), St Brigids N.S. (457) and Corpus Christi N.S. (403), and 12 more. Who runs them ↓
A wide choice at twelve
Within 10 km of the town there are 15 post-primary schools to choose from, of different kinds; each sets its own admission policy, and many families apply to several. The nearest: St Munchin's College (0.9 km), Ardscoil Mhuire (1.6 km) and Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh (1.9 km). Post-primary choices ↓
From the Department of Education’s school lists: facts, not judgements of how well a school teaches.
Who runs Westbury’s schools
Ethos as listed for 2025/26: each bar splits the schools by who runs them.
25 of Westbury’s 29 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Bishop of Limerick (20), CEIST (2) and Limerick & Clare ETB (2). 16 of the 29 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.
Where the 29 schools in and around Westbury 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 Westbury’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 Westbury
The schools by teaching language, with Ireland’s share as the black tick.
3 of Westbury’s 29 schools teach every subject through Irish: Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh, Gaelscoil Sairseal and Gaelscoil Sheoirse.
Who Westbury’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 Westbury | Co. Clare | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 46% | 18% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 11% | 3% | 6% |
| Girls | 44% | 50% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 50% | 11% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 0% | 0% | 6% |
DEIS schools teach 46% of the pupils around Westbury, a larger share than Ireland’s 27% (Co. Clare: 18%). The biggest difference from Ireland is in post-primary pupils at single-sex schools: 50% here, 29% there. Of the DEIS schools here, Thomond Community College is the biggest: 597 pupils.
Each of the 29 schools
| School | Pupils | Girls | DEIS | All-Irish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Munchin's CollegePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 682 | 0% | ||
| Scoil IdePrimary | 654 | 48% | ||
| S.N. an Phairtin MixedPrimary | 317 | 51% | ||
| Ardscoil MhuirePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 591 | 100% | ✓ | |
| Scoil Padraig Naofa CPrimary | 197 | 100% | ✓ | |
| Gaelcholáiste LuimnighPost-primary · ETB | 606 | 61% | ✓ | |
| Scoil Padraig Naofa BPrimary | 197 | 0% | ✓ | |
| St Mary's National SchoolPrimary | 152 | 47% | ✓ | |
| St John the Baptist Boys N.S.Primary | 69 | 0% | ✓ | |
| St Johns ConventPrimary | 223 | 75% | ✓ | |
| Milford Grange N SchoolPrimary | 479 | 49% | ||
| St Brigids N.S.Primary | 457 | 49% | ✓ | |
| Thomond Primary SchoolPrimary | 215 | 49% | ✓ | |
| Corpus Christi N.S.Primary | 403 | 50% | ✓ | |
| Gaelscoil SairsealPrimary | 369 | 55% | ✓ | |
| Coláiste Nano NaglePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 365 | – | ✓ | |
| St Augustines Spec SchSpecial | 24 | 17% | ||
| Colaiste MhichilPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 349 | 0% | ✓ | |
| Presentation Primary SchoolPrimary | 279 | 82% | ✓ | |
| St Canices Special SchoolSpecial | 7 | 29% | ||
| Scoil IosagainPrimary | 222 | 0% | ✓ | |
| St Michaels N.S.Primary | 126 | 38% | ✓ | |
| Thomond Community CollegePost-primary · ETB | 597 | 52% | ✓ | |
| Salesian Primary SchoolPrimary | 361 | 72% | ||
| Ardscoil RisPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 728 | 0% | ||
| Limerick City East Secondary SchoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 811 | 48% | ||
| J F K Memorial SchoolPrimary | 218 | 0% | ||
| St MichaelsPrimary | 116 | 47% | ||
| Gaelscoil SheoirsePrimary | 82 | 49% | ✓ | ✓ |
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 7 patrons of Westbury’s schools
Patrons own the schools and set their ethos; boards of management run them day to day.
7 patrons run the 29 schools around Westbury; the largest, Bishop of Limerick, has 20 of them and 58% of the pupils. 2 are ETB schools. Educate Together runs one.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop of LimerickSt Munchin's College, Scoil Ide, Milford Grange N School, St Brigids, Corpus Christi, Gaelscoil Sairseal, Salesian Primary School, S.N. an Phairtin Mixed, Presentation Primary School, St Johns Convent, Scoil Iosagain, J F K Memorial School, Thomond Primary School, Scoil Padraig Naofa C, Scoil Padraig Naofa B, St Mary's, St Michaels, Gaelscoil Sheoirse, St John the Baptist Boys, St Augustines Spec Sch | Catholic | 20 | 5,726 |
| Limerick & Clare ETBGaelcholáiste Luimnigh, Thomond | Inter-denominational, Multi-denominational | 2 | 1,203 |
| Edmund Rice Schools TrustArdscoil Ris, Colaiste Mhichil | Catholic | 2 | 1,077 |
| CEISTArdscoil Mhuire, Coláiste Nano Nagle | Catholic | 2 | 956 |
| Educate TogetherLimerick City East | Multi-denominational | 1 | 811 |
| Bishop of Limerick, Killaloe & Ardfert COISt Michaels | Church of Ireland | 1 | 116 |
| Health Service ExecutiveSt Canices Special School | Catholic | 1 | 7 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Westbury
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
9 schools here have grown by 5% or more since 2019/20, 10 have shrunk by as much, out of 27; across Ireland: +5%.
All 27 schools
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.
The 29 schools in and around Westbury
Each school in or within 3 km of Westbury links to a page of its own. No letters, no results: Irish schools aren’t ranked one by one.
Inspection reports for Westbury’s schools
The Inspectorate’s published reports for each school, linked, without ratings
Each school is visited by inspectors from time to time, for a whole-school evaluation of teaching, learning and leadership, for one subject, or to follow up earlier advice, and every report is posted on gov.ie with the school’s response.
The reports describe what inspectors saw and what each school should do next. They give no overall grade, so none is shown here; the 29 schools below each link their own.
Department of Education Inspectorate reports on gov.ie, found by each school’s roll number.
Post-primary schools within reach of Westbury
Post-primary schools within 10 km of the town; children move at about twelve, and families apply to each school
15 post-primary schools are within 10 km of Westbury: 10 voluntary secondary schools, 4 ETB schools and one comprehensive school. Of these, 7 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 | 0.9 km |
| Ardscoil MhuireVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 591 | 1.6 km |
| Gaelcholáiste LuimnighETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 606 | 1.9 km |
| Coláiste Nano NagleVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 365 | 2.8 km |
| Colaiste MhichilVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | DEIS | 349 | 2.9 km |
| Thomond Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 597 | 3.3 km |
| Ardscoil RisVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 728 | 3.3 km |
| Limerick City East Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 811 | 3.6 km |
| St Clements CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | DEIS | 411 | 3.8 km |
| Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | Gaelcholáiste | 315 | 3.9 km |
| Laurel Hill Secondary School FCJVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 746 | 3.9 km |
| Villiers Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Church of Ireland | Girls and boys | Fee-paying, Boarding | 508 | 4.4 km |
All 15 post-primary schools within reach
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castletroy CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,360 | 4.6 km |
| Crescent College ComprehensiveComprehensive · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 922 | 5.7 km |
| Mungret Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 991 | 8.1 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Westbury
2 special schools serve the area: St Augustines Spec Sch and St Canices Special School, 31 pupils between them. 12 of the 19 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.
Westbury beside the 95 other Irish towns of 2,500 to 4,900 people
Towns of a similar size, with the schools in or within 3 km of each; ordered by population, never ranked
| Town | People | Schools | Pupils | All-Irish | DEIS schools | Nearest post-primary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duleek | 4,899 | 4 | 957 | 0 | 50% | 6.8 km |
| … | ||||||
| Cork City Centre | 3,701 | 77 | 23,441 | 7 | 48% | 0.5 km |
| Cahir | 3,679 | 2 | 1,300 | 0 | 50% | 0.6 km |
| Riverstown | 3,664 | 12 | 4,146 | 3 | 8% | 0.8 km |
| Enfield | 3,663 | 4 | 1,342 | 0 | 0% | 0.7 km |
| Westbury | 3,636 | 29 | 9,896 | 3 | 55% | 0.9 km |
| Ballyfermot | 3,632 | 58 | 19,071 | 2 | 57% | 0.4 km |
| Newtownmountkennedy | 3,539 | 5 | 1,475 | 0 | 20% | 3.6 km |
| Shandon | 3,539 | 63 | 19,030 | 5 | 52% | 0.4 km |
| Rahoon | 3,486 | 29 | 10,562 | 5 | 21% | 1.6 km |
| … | ||||||
| Grange Upper | 2,510 | 29 | 11,835 | 2 | 41% | 0.8 km |
Of the other 95 towns, 38 have more pupils at the schools around them than Westbury. Teaching through Irish is on offer within 3 km in 61 of the 96.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Pupil numbers around Westbury
Each September’s pupils at every school in or within 3 km of the town, counted where the school stands today.
The schools in and around Westbury had 8,586 pupils in 2015/16 and 9,896 in 2025/26. Limerick City East Secondary School grew most: +587% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Westbury
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 Westbury
Each town’s schools in or within 3 km of its outline; distances as the crow flies.
| Town | Schools | Pupils | All-Irish | DEIS schools | Nearest post-primary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westbury | 29 | 9,896 | 3 | 55% | 0.9 km |
| Corbally and King's Island 1.5 km | 45 | 15,801 | 6 | 49% | 0.2 km |
| Garryowen 2.6 km | 41 | 14,084 | 6 | 44% | 1 km |
| Limerick City Centre 2.8 km | 43 | 14,494 | 5 | 51% | 0.4 km |
| Galvone 2.9 km | 48 | 16,815 | 5 | 46% | 0.6 km |
| Ballynanty 3 km | 39 | 12,623 | 4 | 51% | 0.3 km |
| Farranshone 3.2 km | 49 | 16,369 | 6 | 47% | 0.4 km |
Corbally and King's Island has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 6. Since 2019/20 the pupils around Westbury changed by +8%; among its neighbours, Corbally and King's Island’s grew most (+3%) and Ballynanty’s least (−1%).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Westbury 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 Westbury
How many schools are there in Westbury?
In Westbury or within 3 km of it: 19 primary schools, 8 secondary schools and 2 special schools, with 9,896 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Westbury that teach through Irish?
Yes, 3: Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh, Gaelscoil Sairseal and Gaelscoil Sheoirse teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Westbury?
No: all 8 secondary schools here are free.
What is the best school in Westbury?
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 Westbury?
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).