Photo: David Hawgood · CC BY-SA 2.0Ballyvolane has 2 fee-paying secondary schools in and around it
All-Irish schools make up 13% of those around Ballyvolane, above both Co. Cork’s towns (9%) and Irish towns (8%). Families in Ballyvolane have 34 primary schools, 17 secondary schools and 9 special schools within 3 km, teaching 16,728 pupils. Nothing here grades or ranks these schools: Ireland publishes no results school by school, and the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing them.
Schools in the town or within 3 km of its outline, Department of Education lists for 2025/26; the Ireland figures cover all schools listed.
What stands out about Ballyvolane’s schools
Fee-paying secondary schools
Several of the secondary schools within reach charge fees; the others are free. Fee-paying schools are listed with the rest below, each with its own page. Fee-paying: Christian Brothers College (919) and Scoil Mhuire (432). Every school ↓
A wide choice at twelve
33 post-primary schools lie within 10 km, so families here have a real choice at twelve; each admits on its own policy. The nearest: Mayfield Community School (1.9 km), Colaiste An Phiarsaigh (2.2 km) and St Aidan's Community College (2.5 km). Post-primary choices ↓
From the Department of Education’s school lists: facts, not judgements of how well a school teaches.
The 60 schools in and around Ballyvolane
Each school in or within 3 km of Ballyvolane links to a page of its own. There are no letters or results on these cards, because Ireland publishes none school by school.
Show all 34 primary schools
Where the 60 schools in and around Ballyvolane 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 Ballyvolane’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 Ballyvolane
Schools by the language they teach in; the black tick is Ireland’s share.
8 of Ballyvolane’s 60 schools teach every subject through Irish: Colaiste An Phiarsaigh, Scoil na nOg and Gaelscoil an Ghoirt Alainn.
Who Ballyvolane’s schools serve
The pupils at the area’s schools by share, beside Co. Cork’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 Ballyvolane | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 40% | 18% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 16% | 8% | 6% |
| Girls | 50% | 49% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 34% | 33% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 17% | 7% | 6% |
40% of the pupils around Ballyvolane are at a DEIS school, more than the 27% across Ireland (18% in Co. Cork). Furthest from Ireland’s mix is the share of post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools: 17% here against 6%. The biggest school in DEIS is Gaelcholáiste Mhuire (690 pupils).
Each of the 60 schools
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.
Who runs Ballyvolane’s schools
Who runs each school, as listed for 2025/26; the bars give the share of schools of each kind.
47 of Ballyvolane’s 60 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Bishop of Cork & Ross (31), Cork ETB (4) and Bishop of Cork & Ross & COPE Foundation (3). 27 of the 60 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 18 patrons of Ballyvolane’s schools
The patron owns the school and sets its ethos; a board of management runs it day to day.
18 patrons run the 60 schools around Ballyvolane; the largest, Bishop of Cork & Ross, has 31 of them and 43% of the pupils. The local Education and Training Board runs 6. Educate Together runs one.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop of Cork & RossRiverstown, S.N. Naomh Antaine, Scoil Oilibheir, S.N. Cill Ruadhain, S.N. Barra Naofa Cailini, Scoil Mhuire agus Eoin, North Presentation Primary School, Upper Glanmire, Gaelscoil Peig Sayers, S.N. Barra Naofa Bhuach, Scoil Padre Pio, Ballintemple, Scoil Aiseiri Chriost, Scoil Iosagain, St Patricks College, Our Lady of Lourdes, St Vincents Convent, Scoil Mhuire Fatima Boys Senior, Scoil na Croise Naofa, Scoil Ursula, St Patricks B, Lower Glanmire, Little Island, Gaelscoil Mhachan, S.N. Padraig Naofa C, S.N. Bhreanndain C, St Killians Spec Sch, S.N. Mharcuis B, S.N. Padraig Naofa, School of the Divine Child, St Kevins School | Catholic | 31 | 7,233 |
| Cork ETBGlanmire, Nagle, St Aidan's, Coláiste Daibhéid | Inter-denominational, Multi-denominational | 4 | 1,916 |
| Edmund Rice Schools TrustChristian Brothers College, Gaelcholáiste Mhuire, North Monastery | Catholic | 3 | 1,880 |
| Bishop of Cork & Ross & COPE FoundationSt Bernadettes Spec Sch, St Paul's School, Scoil Eanna | Catholic | 3 | 290 |
| Le Chéile Schools TrustSt. Angela's College, Ursuline College Blackrock | Catholic | 2 | 958 |
| An Foras PátrúnachtaGaelscoil an Ghoirt Alainn, Gaelscoil Ui Drisceoil | Multi-denominational | 2 | 774 |
| Gaelachas TeoColaiste An Phiarsaigh, Scoil na nOg | Catholic | 2 | 610 |
| Bishop of Cork, Cloyne & Ross COIScoil Naomh Micheal, St Lukes Mxd | Church of Ireland | 2 | 198 |
| Brothers of Charity (Southern Services) Brother John O'SheaScoil Triest, Cara Junior School | Catholic | 2 | 144 |
| Bishop of Cork, Cloyne & Ross COI/ Cork ETBAshton School | Church of Ireland | 1 | 539 |
| Named IndividualScoil Mhuire | Catholic | 1 | 432 |
| Educate TogetherCork Educate Together | Multi-denominational | 1 | 403 |
| Cork ETB & Bishop of Cork and RossMayfield | Inter-denominational | 1 | 362 |
| Bishop of CloyneS.N. Mhuire | Catholic | 1 | 316 |
| Religious Sisters of CharitySt Vincent's | Catholic | 1 | 283 |
| Cork School ProjectCork Educate Together | Multi-denominational | 1 | 193 |
| CEISTNano Nagle College | Catholic | 1 | 161 |
| COPE FoundationScoil Aislinn | Other | 1 | 36 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Ballyvolane
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. The 2 fee-paying schools here set their own fees and admissions.
Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018; each school’s admission policy and notice are on its own website.
Which schools are growing
Since 2019/20, 19 of these 51 schools have grown by 5% or more and 24 have shrunk as much; across Ireland the number of pupils changed by +5%.
All 51 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.
Inspection reports for Ballyvolane’s schools
Reports from the Department of Education’s Inspectorate, every school’s linked and none rated
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.
The reports describe what inspectors saw and what each school should do next. They give no overall grade, so none is shown here; the 60 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 Ballyvolane
Every post-primary school within 10 km of the town; families choose and apply to each, at about twelve
Within 10 km of Ballyvolane there are 33 post-primary schools: 23 voluntary secondary schools, 5 ETB schools, 4 community schools and one comprehensive school. 14 teach girls and boys apart: 8 girls’ and 6 boys’ schools. Fees are charged at 3 of them. Every subject is taught through Irish at 3 of them.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayfield Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 362 | 1.9 km |
| Colaiste An PhiarsaighVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste, Boarding | 578 | 2.2 km |
| St Aidan's Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 309 | 2.5 km |
| St Patricks CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 218 | 2.7 km |
| Glanmire Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,141 | 3 km |
| Cork Educate Together Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 403 | 3.3 km |
| Ursuline College BlackrockVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 352 | 3.5 km |
| Christian Brothers CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | Fee-paying | 919 | 3.7 km |
| Scoil MhuireVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | Fee-paying | 432 | 3.9 km |
| St. Angela's CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 606 | 3.9 km |
| Ashton SchoolComprehensive · Church of Ireland | Girls and boys | – | 539 | 4.1 km |
| Gaelcholáiste MhuireVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste, DEIS | 690 | 4.1 km |
All 33 post-primary schools within reach
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Vincent's Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 283 | 4.1 km |
| North Monastery Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 271 | 4.2 km |
| Nagle Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 315 | 4.3 km |
| Nano Nagle CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 161 | 4.3 km |
| Coláiste DaibhéidETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste, DEIS | 151 | 4.5 km |
| Coláiste Chríost RíVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 502 | 4.8 km |
| Regina Mundi CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 564 | 4.9 km |
| St Aloysius SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 323 | 5.1 km |
| Presentation Brothers CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | Fee-paying | 692 | 5.1 km |
| Coláiste Éamann RísVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 811 | 5.1 km |
| Christ King Girls' Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 700 | 5.3 km |
| Douglas Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Boys | – | 605 | 5.4 km |
| Terence Mac Swiney Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 302 | 5.8 km |
| Presentation Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 190 | 5.9 km |
| Coláiste an Chroí NaofaVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 461 | 7.1 km |
| St Francis Capuchin CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 730 | 7.3 km |
| Mount Mercy CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 811 | 7.3 km |
| Coláiste an Spioraid NaoimhVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 715 | 7.8 km |
| Bishopstown Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 306 | 8.2 km |
| St Peter's Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 354 | 9.1 km |
| Scoil Mhuire gan SmalVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 1,124 | 9.1 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Ballyvolane
9 special schools serve the area: Scoil Triest, Cara Junior School, St Killians Spec Sch, St Bernadettes Spec Sch, Scoil Eanna, St Paul's School, School of the Divine Child (Scoil an Linbh Íosa), Scoil Aislinn and St Kevins School, 632 pupils between them. 25 of the 34 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.
Ballyvolane beside the 89 other Irish towns of 6,100 to 11,800 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cavan | 11,741 | 14 | 4,634 | 1 | 29% | 1.2 km |
| … | ||||||
| Waterford City Centre | 9,031 | 33 | 12,411 | 2 | 39% | 0.5 km |
| Sandyford | 8,844 | 67 | 27,808 | 8 | 8% | 0.9 km |
| Lusk | 8,806 | 11 | 4,510 | 1 | 0% | 0.9 km |
| Raheny | 8,734 | 70 | 21,242 | 4 | 34% | 0.9 km |
| Ballyvolane | 8,707 | 60 | 16,728 | 8 | 45% | 1.9 km |
| Kilcock | 8,674 | 4 | 2,202 | 1 | 0% | 0.6 km |
| New Ross | 8,610 | 10 | 3,266 | 0 | 60% | 0.6 km |
| Hollyhill and Ballincolly | 8,606 | 84 | 27,337 | 7 | 43% | 1.1 km |
| Youghal | 8,564 | 5 | 2,077 | 1 | 20% | 1.3 km |
| … | ||||||
| The Glen | 6,119 | 66 | 19,000 | 5 | 50% | 0.5 km |
Of the other 89 towns, 36 have more pupils at the schools around them than Ballyvolane. 86 of the 90 towns have an all-Irish school within 3 km.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Pupil numbers around Ballyvolane
Every school in or within 3 km of the town each September, counted where it stands today.
The schools in and around Ballyvolane had 16,676 pupils in 2015/16 and 16,728 in 2025/26. Nagle Community College grew most: +61% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Ballyvolane
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 Ballyvolane
Schools in or within 3 km of each neighbouring town; distances in a straight line.
| Town | Schools | Pupils | All-Irish | DEIS schools | Nearest post-primary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballyvolane | 60 | 16,728 | 8 | 45% | 1.9 km |
| Mayfield 1.6 km | 65 | 19,177 | 6 | 45% | 0.3 km |
| Tivoli 2.2 km | 76 | 23,233 | 10 | 45% | 1 km |
| Montenotte 2.4 km | 70 | 20,121 | 8 | 49% | 0.5 km |
| The Glen 2.5 km | 66 | 19,000 | 5 | 50% | 0.5 km |
| Riverstown 2.5 km | 12 | 4,146 | 3 | 8% | 0.8 km |
| Glanmire 2.8 km | 27 | 7,395 | 5 | 26% | 0.9 km |
Tivoli has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 10. Since 2019/20 the pupils around Ballyvolane changed by −1%; among its neighbours, Glanmire’s grew most (+5%) and Riverstown’s least (−1%).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Ballyvolane 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 Ballyvolane
How many schools are there in Ballyvolane?
In Ballyvolane or within 3 km of it: 34 primary schools, 17 secondary schools and 9 special schools, with 16,728 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Ballyvolane that teach through Irish?
Yes, 8: Colaiste An Phiarsaigh, Scoil na nOg and Gaelscoil an Ghoirt Alainn teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Ballyvolane?
2 of the 17: Christian Brothers College and Scoil Mhuire. The others are free.
What is the best school in Ballyvolane?
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 Ballyvolane?
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).