Photo: Ian S · CC BY-SA 2.0Fewer single-sex secondaries around Cobh than around Co. Cork’s towns or Irish towns: 0%
In the comparison, Cobh comes below both Co. Cork’s towns (44%) and Irish towns (39%). In or within 3 km of Cobh, they have 3,613 pupils in all. 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 Cobh’s schools
A wide choice at twelve
Within 10 km of the town there are 14 post-primary schools to choose from, of different kinds; each sets its own admission policy, and many families apply to several. The nearest: Coláiste Muire (0.8 km), Carrignafoy Community College (1.3 km) and St Peter's Community School (2.8 km). Post-primary choices ↓
From the Department of Education’s school lists: facts, not judgements of how well a school teaches.
Where the 13 schools in and around Cobh 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 Cobh’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 Cobh
How many schools teach through each language; the tick marks Ireland’s share.
1 of Cobh’s 13 schools teach every subject through Irish: Gaelscoile Cobh.
Who Cobh’s schools serve
Shares of the pupils at the area’s schools, 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 Cobh | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 11% | 18% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 1% | 8% | 6% |
| Girls | 47% | 49% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 0% | 33% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 0% | 7% | 6% |
Around Cobh, 11% of pupils attend a school in DEIS; across Ireland it is 27%, and 18% in Co. Cork. Set beside Ireland, post-primary pupils at single-sex schools stand out most: 0% against 29%. The largest DEIS school here is Carrignafoy Community College, with 322 pupils.
Each of the 13 schools
| School | Pupils | Girls | DEIS | All-Irish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coláiste MuirePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 709 | 47% | ||
| Bunscoil Rinn an ChabhlaighPrimary | 679 | 44% | ||
| Carrignafoy Community CollegePost-primary · ETB | 322 | 48% | ✓ | |
| S.N. Seosamh CobhPrimary | 261 | 0% | ||
| St Marys National SchoolPrimary | 248 | 100% | ||
| Gaelscoile CobhPrimary | 46 | 57% | ✓ | |
| Cobh N.S.Primary | 15 | 60% | ✓ | |
| Monkstown N.S.Primary | 194 | 51% | ||
| St Peter's Community SchoolPost-primary · Community school | 354 | 52% | ||
| Star of the Sea Primary SchoolPrimary | 352 | 47% | ||
| Ringaskiddy Lower Harbour N.S.Primary | 58 | 45% | ✓ | |
| Shanbally N.S.Primary | 192 | 43% | ||
| Walterstown N.S.Primary | 183 | 46% |
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 Cobh’s schools
Each school’s ethos, 2025/26: the bars show the share of schools of each kind.
10 of Cobh’s 13 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Bishop of Cloyne (5), Bishop of Cork & Ross (4) and Presentation Brothers Schools Trust (1). 3 of the 13 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 6 patrons of Cobh’s schools
Each school has a patron that owns it and sets its ethos; its board of management runs it.
The schools around Cobh answer to 6 patrons, and Bishop of Cloyne leads with 5 of the 13 schools and 39% of their pupils. 2 are ETB schools.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop of CloyneBunscoil Rinn an Chabhlaigh, S.N. Seosamh Cobh, St Marys, Walterstown, Gaelscoile Cobh | Catholic | 5 | 1,417 |
| Bishop of Cork & RossStar of the Sea Primary School, Monkstown, Shanbally, Ringaskiddy Lower Harbour | Catholic | 4 | 796 |
| Presentation Brothers Schools TrustColáiste Muire | Catholic | 1 | 709 |
| Cork ETB & Religious Sisters of MercySt Peter's | Inter-denominational | 1 | 354 |
| Cork ETBCarrignafoy | Multi-denominational | 1 | 322 |
| Bishop of Cork, Cloyne & Ross COICobh | Church of Ireland | 1 | 15 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Cobh
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
Between 2019/20 and now, 1 of the 13 grew by 5% or more and 10 shrank as much, while Ireland’s pupil numbers moved +5%.
All 13 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 13 schools in and around Cobh
Here are the schools in Cobh or within 3 km of it, every one with its own page. Letters and results are missing here for a reason: Ireland publishes neither school by school.
Inspection reports for Cobh’s schools
The Inspectorate’s published reports for each school, linked, without ratings
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 13 schools below each link their own.
| School | Reports on gov.ie |
|---|---|
| Coláiste MuirePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Bunscoil Rinn an ChabhlaighPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Carrignafoy Community CollegePost-primary · ETB | Inspection reports ↗ |
| S.N. Seosamh CobhPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| St Marys National SchoolPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Gaelscoile CobhPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Cobh N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Monkstown N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| St Peter's Community SchoolPost-primary · Community school | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Star of the Sea Primary SchoolPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Ringaskiddy Lower Harbour N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Shanbally N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Walterstown 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 Cobh
Every post-primary school within 10 km of the town; families choose and apply to each, at about twelve
Families in Cobh have 14 post-primary schools within 10 km: 7 voluntary secondary schools, 4 ETB schools and 3 community schools. Of these, 4 are single-sex: 2 for girls and 2 for boys. Every subject is taught through Irish at 2 of them.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coláiste MuireVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 709 | 0.8 km |
| Carrignafoy Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 322 | 1.3 km |
| St Peter's Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 354 | 2.8 km |
| St Francis Capuchin CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 730 | 5.2 km |
| Colaiste MuireVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 523 | 5.8 km |
| Carrigaline Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,072 | 6.9 km |
| St Aloysius CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 765 | 7.1 km |
| Edmund Rice CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 580 | 7.3 km |
| Carrigtwohill Post PrimaryETB · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 912 | 7.3 km |
| Gaelcholáiste Charraig Ui LeighinETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 302 | 7.3 km |
| Nagle Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 315 | 8 km |
| Ursuline College BlackrockVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 352 | 9 km |
All 14 post-primary schools within reach
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colaiste An PhiarsaighVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste, Boarding | 578 | 9.7 km |
| Douglas Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Boys | – | 605 | 9.9 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Cobh
No special school is in or near Cobh. 6 of the 10 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.
Cobh beside the 83 other Irish towns of 9,900 to 19,100 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beaumont | 19,072 | 124 | 35,530 | 7 | 48% | 0.5 km |
| … | ||||||
| Darndale | 14,675 | 85 | 23,703 | 7 | 49% | 1 km |
| Bishopstown | 14,529 | 54 | 18,909 | 6 | 50% | 0.3 km |
| Killarney | 14,412 | 12 | 4,102 | 1 | 8% | 0.8 km |
| Corbally and King's Island | 14,213 | 45 | 15,801 | 6 | 49% | 0.2 km |
| Cobh | 14,148 | 13 | 3,613 | 1 | 23% | 0.8 km |
| Clonskeagh | 14,142 | 106 | 39,846 | 10 | 10% | 0.3 km |
| Midleton | 13,906 | 10 | 5,560 | 1 | 10% | 0.3 km |
| Cabra East | 13,895 | 157 | 40,651 | 10 | 63% | 0.9 km |
| Mahon | 13,892 | 63 | 18,590 | 8 | 30% | 0.4 km |
| … | ||||||
| Churchtown | 10,044 | 106 | 41,500 | 9 | 13% | 0.2 km |
Among the 83 other towns, 76 have more pupils at their schools than Cobh does. Every one of them has an all-Irish school within 3 km.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Pupil numbers around Cobh
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 Cobh had 3,975 pupils in 2015/16 and 3,613 in 2025/26, fewer than before.
Pupils at schools in and around Cobh
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 Cobh
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cobh | 13 | 3,613 | 1 | 23% | 0.8 km |
| Passage West-Monkstown 2.9 km | 16 | 4,438 | 0 | 6% | 0.1 km |
| Crosshaven 5.9 km | 5 | 1,057 | 0 | 20% | 0.5 km |
| Whitegate 6.1 km | 2 | 391 | 0 | 0% | 5.2 km |
| Aghada-Rostellan 6.6 km | 3 | 574 | 0 | 0% | 5.5 km |
| Glounthaune 7.1 km | 32 | 10,210 | 4 | 19% | 3.7 km |
| Carrigtwohill 7.3 km | 6 | 2,782 | 0 | 0% | 0.2 km |
Glounthaune has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 4. The roll around Cobh moved −11% since 2019/20; nearby, Carrigtwohill grew most (+24%) and Aghada-Rostellan least (−9%).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Cobh 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 Cobh
How many schools are there in Cobh?
In Cobh or within 3 km of it: 10 primary schools and 3 secondary schools, with 3,613 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Cobh that teach through Irish?
Yes, 1: Gaelscoile Cobh teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Cobh?
No: all 3 secondary schools here are free.
What is the best school in Cobh?
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 Cobh?
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).