Photo: Neil Theasby · CC BY-SA 2.0DEIS support is less common around Ballygarvan: 0% of schools, below Co. Cork’s towns and Irish towns
On this, Ballygarvan is below both Co. Cork’s towns (37%) and Irish towns (35%). Ballygarvan N.S. is a primary with 366 pupils. With no school results published in Ireland, and the Education Act 1998 restricting comparisons of them, these schools are described, not graded or ranked.
Every school in the town or within 3 km of its outline, from the Department of Education’s lists for 2025/26; Ireland’s figures are every school in the lists.
What stands out about Ballygarvan’s schools
A wide choice at twelve
29 post-primary schools lie within 10 km, so families here have a real choice at twelve; each admits on its own policy. The nearest: Gaelcholáiste Charraig Ui Leighin (4.2 km), Carrigaline Community School (5.2 km) and Edmund Rice College (5.7 km). Post-primary choices ↓
Drawn from the Department of Education’s lists; none of it judges how well a school teaches.
Where the school in or near Ballygarvan is
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 Ballygarvan’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 Ballygarvan
How many schools teach through each language; the tick marks Ireland’s share.
None of the 1 schools in and around Ballygarvan teaches every subject through Irish.
Who runs Ballygarvan’s schools
Who runs each school, as listed for 2025/26; the bars give the share of schools of each kind.
1 of Ballygarvan’s 1 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. Their patron: Bishop of Cork & Ross (1). None of the 1 is 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.
How children get a place in Ballygarvan
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.
The school in and around Ballygarvan
Every school in Ballygarvan or within 3 km of its outline, each linked to its own page. There are no letters or results on these cards, because Ireland publishes none school by school.
Inspection reports for Ballygarvan’s schools
Reports from the Department of Education’s Inspectorate, every school’s linked and none rated
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; the link below opens the school’s own.
| School | Reports on gov.ie |
|---|---|
| Ballygarvan N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
Department of Education Inspectorate reports on gov.ie, found by each school’s roll number.
Post-primary schools within reach of Ballygarvan
Post-primary schools within 10 km of the town; children move at about twelve, and families apply to each school
Families in Ballygarvan have 29 post-primary schools within 10 km: 20 voluntary secondary schools, 4 ETB schools, 4 community schools and one comprehensive school. Of these, 14 are single-sex: 8 for girls and 6 for boys. Fees are charged at 3 of them. Every subject is taught through Irish at 3 of them.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaelcholáiste Charraig Ui LeighinETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 302 | 4.2 km |
| Carrigaline Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,072 | 5.2 km |
| Edmund Rice CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 580 | 5.7 km |
| Douglas Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Boys | – | 605 | 6.5 km |
| Regina Mundi CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 564 | 6.9 km |
| Christ King Girls' Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 700 | 6.9 km |
| Presentation Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 190 | 7 km |
| Coláiste Chríost RíVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 502 | 7.5 km |
| Coláiste Éamann RísVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 811 | 7.6 km |
| Coláiste an Spioraid NaoimhVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 715 | 7.8 km |
| Ashton SchoolComprehensive · Church of Ireland | Girls and boys | – | 539 | 7.9 km |
| St Francis Capuchin CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 730 | 7.9 km |
All 29 post-primary schools within reach
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coláiste DaibhéidETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste, DEIS | 151 | 8 km |
| Bishopstown Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 306 | 8.2 km |
| St Aloysius SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 323 | 8.3 km |
| Mount Mercy CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 811 | 8.4 km |
| Presentation Brothers CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | Fee-paying | 692 | 8.6 km |
| Nagle Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 315 | 8.7 km |
| Ursuline College BlackrockVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 352 | 8.8 km |
| Scoil MhuireVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | Fee-paying | 432 | 8.9 km |
| St. Angela's CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 606 | 9 km |
| Christian Brothers CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | Fee-paying | 919 | 9.1 km |
| Cork Educate Together Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 403 | 9.2 km |
| St Vincent's Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 283 | 9.5 km |
| Terence Mac Swiney Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 302 | 9.6 km |
| St Patricks CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 218 | 9.6 km |
| North Monastery Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 271 | 9.7 km |
| St Peter's Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 354 | 9.7 km |
| Gaelcholáiste MhuireVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste, DEIS | 690 | 9.8 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Ballygarvan
No special school is in or near Ballygarvan. 1 of the 1 primary schools has 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.
Ballygarvan beside the 215 other Irish towns of 400 to 800 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crinkill | 795 | 7 | 1,708 | 1 | 86% | 3.1 km |
| … | ||||||
| The Ballagh | 560 | 2 | 270 | 0 | 50% | 9.6 km |
| Clarina | 559 | 5 | 2,090 | 1 | 0% | 3.2 km |
| Ballinabrannagh | 557 | 1 | 184 | 0 | 0% | 4.6 km |
| Glenamaddy | 557 | 3 | 623 | 0 | 0% | 0.5 km |
| Ballygarvan | 556 | 1 | 366 | 0 | 0% | 4.2 km |
| Waterville | 555 | 1 | 110 | 0 | 0% | 13 km |
| Kildangan | 546 | 1 | 207 | 0 | 0% | 4.4 km |
| Tarbert | 546 | 2 | 679 | 0 | 50% | 0.7 km |
| Ballyheigue | 546 | 2 | 167 | 0 | 50% | 6.9 km |
| … | ||||||
| Oilgate | 401 | 2 | 152 | 0 | 100% | 6.2 km |
Of these 215 other towns, 75 count more pupils at their schools than Ballygarvan. Teaching through Irish is on offer within 3 km in 18 of the 216.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Pupil numbers around Ballygarvan
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 Ballygarvan had 389 pupils in 2015/16 and 366 in 2025/26, fewer than before.
Pupils at schools in and around Ballygarvan
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 Ballygarvan
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballygarvan | 1 | 366 | 0 | 0% | 4.2 km |
| Frankfield and Grange 4.8 km | 58 | 20,798 | 6 | 24% | 2 km |
| Carrigaline 4.8 km | 12 | 4,439 | 2 | 8% | 0.5 km |
| Lehenagh 5.2 km | 43 | 14,801 | 4 | 33% | 2.3 km |
| Douglas 5.9 km | 66 | 20,250 | 10 | 20% | 1.8 km |
| Inishkenny 6.4 km | 43 | 16,164 | 4 | 35% | 1.4 km |
| Tramore 6.6 km | 75 | 22,562 | 7 | 48% | 0.7 km |
Douglas has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 10. Of Ballygarvan’s neighbours, Carrigaline saw the most growth in pupils since 2019/20 (+9%) and Lehenagh the least (−3%); Ballygarvan itself: −6%.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Ballygarvan 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 Ballygarvan
How many schools are there in Ballygarvan?
In Ballygarvan or within 3 km of it: 1 primary school, with 366 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Ballygarvan that teach through Irish?
None in Ballygarvan or within 3 km of it teaches every subject through Irish; some teach it as a subject only.
Is there a secondary school in Ballygarvan?
Not in Ballygarvan or within 3 km of it; the nearest is Gaelcholáiste Charraig Ui Leighin, 4.2 km away.
What is the best school in Ballygarvan?
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 Ballygarvan?
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).