Photo: Jonathan Thacker · CC BY-SA 2.0DEIS support is less common around Bandon: 10% of schools, below Co. Cork’s towns and Irish towns
On this, Bandon is below both Co. Cork’s towns (40%) and Irish towns (35%). In or within 3 km of Bandon: 6 primary schools and 4 secondary schools, 3,617 pupils in all. With no school results published in Ireland, and the Education Act 1998 restricting comparisons of them, these schools are described, not graded or ranked.
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 Bandon’s schools
One fee-paying secondary school
One secondary school within reach charges fees; the others are free. The fee-paying one: Bandon Grammar School (712). Every school ↓
One school growing fast
St. Brogan's College has grown from 602 pupils in 2019/20 to 905, the fastest of the schools here. Getting a place ↓
Few schools in DEIS
DEIS, which gives schools in disadvantaged areas more teachers and money, includes just 1 of the 10 schools here, against 30% of schools across Ireland. The one in DEIS: St. Brogan's College (905). Who goes there ↓
Drawn from the Department of Education’s lists; none of it judges how well a school teaches.
The 10 schools in and around Bandon
Every school in Bandon or within 3 km of its outline, each linked to its own page. You won’t find letters or results below: Ireland publishes none for single schools.
Where the 10 schools in and around Bandon 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 Bandon’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 Bandon
How many schools teach through each language; the tick marks Ireland’s share.
1 of Bandon’s 10 schools teach every subject through Irish: Gaelscoil Droichead na Banndan.
Who Bandon’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 Bandon | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 25% | 18% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 4% | 8% | 6% |
| Girls | 50% | 49% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 16% | 33% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 29% | 7% | 6% |
Around Bandon, 25% of pupils attend a school in DEIS, near Ireland’s 27% and Co. Cork’s 18%. Where this area differs most from Ireland is post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools, at 29% against 6%. St. Brogan's College, with 905 pupils, is the largest school here in DEIS.
Each of the 10 schools
| School | Pupils | Girls | DEIS | All-Irish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Brogan's CollegePost-primary · ETB | 905 | 50% | ✓ | |
| Coláiste na ToirbhirtePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 456 | 93% | ||
| Bandon Primary SchoolPrimary | 401 | 50% | ||
| Árdscoil Uí UrmoltaighPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 399 | 0% | ||
| Scoil BhridePrimary | 187 | 50% | ||
| S N Droichead na BandanPrimary | 170 | 52% | ||
| Gaelscoil Droichead na BanndanPrimary | 157 | 45% | ✓ | |
| Bandon Grammar SchoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 712 | 49% | ||
| Laragh N.S.Primary | 174 | 55% | ||
| Castlealack N.S.Primary | 56 | 52% |
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 Bandon’s schools
Who runs each school, as listed for 2025/26; the bars give the share of schools of each kind.
7 of Bandon’s 10 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Bishop of Cork & Ross (3), Cork ETB (1) and CEIST (1). 1 of the 10 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 8 patrons of Bandon’s schools
Patrons own the schools and set their ethos; boards of management run them day to day.
Of the 10 schools around Bandon, 3 have Bishop of Cork & Ross as patron, teaching 12% of the pupils; 8 patrons in all. An Education and Training Board runs one of them.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop of Cork & RossScoil Bhride, Laragh, Castlealack | Catholic | 3 | 417 |
| Cork ETBSt. Brogan's College | Multi-denominational | 1 | 905 |
| Incorporated Society for Promoting Protestant Schools in IrelandBandon Grammar School | Church of Ireland | 1 | 712 |
| CEISTColáiste na Toirbhirte | Catholic | 1 | 456 |
| Bishop of cork and RosBandon Primary School | Catholic | 1 | 401 |
| Named IndividualÁrdscoil Uí Urmoltaigh | Catholic | 1 | 399 |
| Bishop of Cork, Cloyne & Ross COIS N Droichead na Bandan | Church of Ireland | 1 | 170 |
| An Foras PátrúnachtaGaelscoil Droichead na Banndan | Catholic | 1 | 157 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Bandon
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 fee-paying school here sets its 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
Between 2019/20 and now, 2 of the 9 grew by 5% or more and 4 shrank as much, while Ireland’s pupil numbers moved +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 Bandon’s schools
The Department of Education’s Inspectorate: every school’s reports linked, none rated
Reports come from whole-school evaluations (teaching, learning, leadership and management), subject inspections and follow-through visits that check earlier advice; gov.ie publishes each one with the school’s response.
Reports say what inspectors found and what should improve, without an overall grade, so none appears here; each of the 10 schools below links its own.
| School | Reports on gov.ie |
|---|---|
| St. Brogan's CollegePost-primary · ETB | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Coláiste na ToirbhirtePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Bandon Primary SchoolPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Árdscoil Uí UrmoltaighPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Scoil BhridePrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| S N Droichead na BandanPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Gaelscoil Droichead na BanndanPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Bandon Grammar SchoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Laragh N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Castlealack 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 Bandon
All post-primaries within 10 km; at about twelve, families choose and apply school by school
Within 10 km of Bandon there are 4 post-primary schools: 3 voluntary secondary schools and one ETB school. One of them is single-sex. One of them charges fees. None within 10 km teaches every subject through Irish.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Árdscoil Uí UrmoltaighVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 399 | 0.4 km |
| Coláiste na ToirbhirteVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 456 | 0.8 km |
| St. Brogan's CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 905 | 1 km |
| Bandon Grammar SchoolVoluntary secondary · Church of Ireland | Girls and boys | Fee-paying, Boarding | 712 | 1.4 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Bandon
No special school is in or near Bandon. 2 of the 6 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.
Bandon beside the 96 other Irish towns of 5,700 to 11,100 people
Each town’s schools in or within 3 km, listed by population: Ireland publishes no results, so none is ranked
| Town | People | Schools | Pupils | All-Irish | DEIS schools | Nearest post-primary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athy | 11,035 | 7 | 2,975 | 1 | 57% | 0.8 km |
| … | ||||||
| Booterstown | 8,505 | 73 | 27,367 | 8 | 7% | 0.2 km |
| Grand Canal Dock | 8,320 | 121 | 32,703 | 6 | 43% | 0.7 km |
| Cherry Orchard | 8,280 | 78 | 26,412 | 4 | 54% | 1.2 km |
| Dalkey | 8,275 | 43 | 12,331 | 1 | 28% | 0.9 km |
| Bandon | 8,196 | 10 | 3,617 | 1 | 10% | 0.4 km |
| Howth | 8,192 | 27 | 8,571 | 3 | 11% | 0.8 km |
| Ballybough | 8,188 | 126 | 34,469 | 8 | 52% | 0.2 km |
| Thurles | 8,185 | 10 | 3,787 | 1 | 10% | 0.3 km |
| Clane | 8,152 | 7 | 3,836 | 0 | 14% | 0.7 km |
| … | ||||||
| Portobello | 5,732 | 110 | 29,104 | 7 | 46% | 0.4 km |
More pupils attend the schools around 70 of the other 96 towns than around Bandon. Within 3 km, 92 of these 97 towns have a school teaching through Irish.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Pupil numbers around Bandon
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 Bandon had 3,527 pupils in 2015/16 and 3,617 in 2025/26. St. Brogan's College grew most: +50% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Bandon
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 Bandon
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bandon | 10 | 3,617 | 1 | 10% | 0.4 km |
| Inishannon 6.2 km | 1 | 295 | 0 | 0% | 5.7 km |
| Killumney 15 km | 7 | 2,866 | 1 | 0% | 4 km |
| Kinsale 15 km | 5 | 2,264 | 1 | 0% | 0.5 km |
| Clonakilty 17 km | 6 | 2,124 | 1 | 0% | 0.5 km |
| Ballincollig 18 km | 28 | 11,989 | 4 | 14% | 0.6 km |
Ballincollig has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 4. The roll around Bandon moved +4% since 2019/20; nearby, Killumney grew most (+22%) and Inishannon least (−5%).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Bandon 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 Bandon
How many schools are there in Bandon?
In Bandon or within 3 km of it: 6 primary schools and 4 secondary schools, with 3,617 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Bandon that teach through Irish?
Yes, 1: Gaelscoil Droichead na Banndan teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Bandon?
1 of the 4: Bandon Grammar School. The others are free.
What is the best school in Bandon?
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 Bandon?
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).