Photo: Hywel Williams · CC BY-SA 2.0Around Douglas, 15% of schools teach every subject through Irish, more than around Co. Cork’s towns or Irish towns
That leaves Douglas above both Co. Cork’s towns (9%) and Irish towns (8%). They have 20,250 pupils between them, in or within 3 km of Douglas. Ireland publishes no school results, and the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing them, so these schools are described here, never 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 Douglas’s schools
A wide choice at twelve
Within 10 km of the town there are 36 post-primary schools to choose from, of different kinds; each sets its own admission policy, and many families apply to several. The nearest: Douglas Community School (1.8 km), Regina Mundi College (2.2 km) and Nagle Community College (2.8 km). Post-primary choices ↓
Drawn from the Department of Education’s lists; none of it judges how well a school teaches.
Where the 66 schools in and around Douglas 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 Douglas’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 Douglas
The schools by teaching language, with Ireland’s share as the black tick.
10 of Douglas’s 66 schools teach every subject through Irish: Scoil an Athair Tadhg O Murchu, Gaelscoil Mhachan and Gaelscoil Ui Drisceoil.
Who Douglas’s schools serve
How the area’s pupils divide, against 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 Douglas | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 17% | 18% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 16% | 8% | 6% |
| Girls | 49% | 49% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 42% | 33% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 0% | 7% | 6% |
DEIS schools teach 17% of the pupils around Douglas, a smaller share than Ireland’s 27% (Co. Cork: 18%). The biggest difference from Ireland is in post-primary pupils at single-sex schools: 42% here, 29% there. Of the DEIS schools here, Coláiste Éamann Rís is the biggest: 811 pupils.
Each of the 66 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 Douglas’s schools
Each school’s ethos, 2025/26: the bars show the share of schools of each kind.
45 of Douglas’s 66 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Bishop of Cork & Ross (30), Cork ETB (5) and Educate Together (4). 13 of the 66 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 Douglas’s schools
The patron owns the school and sets its ethos; a board of management runs it day to day.
Bishop of Cork & Ross is patron of 30 of the 66 schools around Douglas, which teach 45% of their pupils; 18 patrons run them in all. Education and Training Boards run 9 of them. Educate Together runs 4.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop of Cork & RossHoly Well National School, Scoil Nioclais, Gaelscoil Charraig Ui Leighin, S.N. Naomh Antaine, Scoil Phadraig Naofa, Bunscoil Chriost Ri, Scoil an Athair Tadhg O Murchu, St Columbas, Scoil Naomh Brid C, Ballygarvan, Douglas B, Star of the Sea Primary School, S.N. Barra Naofa Cailini, Scoil Mhuire agus Eoin, S.N. Barra Naofa Bhuach, Ballintemple, Greenmount Monastery, Our Lady of Lourdes, Monkstown, Scoil na Croise Naofa, Gaelscoil an Teaghlaigh Naofa, Shanbally, Scoil Ursula, Scoil Maria Assumpta, Lower Glanmire, Little Island, Gaelscoil Mhachan, Realt na Maidine, School of the Divine Child, St Kevins School | Catholic | 30 | 9,169 |
| Cork ETBNagle, Gaelcholáiste Charraig Ui Leighin, Coláiste Daibhéid, Rochestown Community Special School, Carrigaline Community Special School | Inter-denominational, Multi-denominational | 5 | 881 |
| Educate TogetherDouglas Rochestown Educate Together, Cork Educate Together, South Lee Educate Together, Owenabue ETNS | Multi-denominational | 4 | 1,189 |
| Bishop of Cork, Cloyne & Ross COISt Mary's Church of Ireland N.S, St Lukes N.S. Douglas, Scoil Naomh Micheal, St Lukes Mxd | Church of Ireland | 4 | 605 |
| Brothers of Charity (Southern Services) Brother John O'SheaSt Marys Spec Sch, Scoil Triest, Cara Junior School, Sonas Special Primary Junior School | Catholic, Other | 4 | 277 |
| Bishop of Cork & Ross & COPE FoundationSt Bernadettes Spec Sch, St Paul's School, Scoil Eanna | Catholic | 3 | 290 |
| Cork ETB & Bishop of Cork and RossCarrigaline, Douglas | Inter-denominational | 2 | 1,677 |
| CEISTChrist King Girls', Presentation | Catholic | 2 | 890 |
| An Foras PátrúnachtaGaelscoil an Ghoirt Alainn, Gaelscoil Ui Drisceoil | Multi-denominational | 2 | 774 |
| Gaelachas TeoColaiste An Phiarsaigh, Scoil na nOg | Catholic | 2 | 610 |
| Edmund Rice Schools TrustColáiste Éamann Rís | Catholic | 1 | 811 |
| Capuchin Franciscan Order (Provincial Council)St Francis Capuchin College | Catholic | 1 | 730 |
| Regina Mundi (Cork) LtdRegina Mundi College | Catholic | 1 | 564 |
| Bishop of Cork, Cloyne & Ross COI/ Cork ETBAshton School | Church of Ireland | 1 | 539 |
| Presentation Brothers Schools TrustColáiste Chríost Rí | Catholic | 1 | 502 |
| Cork ETB & Religious Sisters of MercySt Peter's | Inter-denominational | 1 | 354 |
| Le Chéile Schools TrustUrsuline College Blackrock | Catholic | 1 | 352 |
| COPE FoundationScoil Aislinn | Other | 1 | 36 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Douglas
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
Of these 51 schools, 17 have grown by at least 5% since 2019/20 and 23 have lost as much; Ireland’s 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.
The 66 schools in and around Douglas
Here are the schools in Douglas or within 3 km of it, every one with its own page. No letters and no results: Ireland publishes none school by school.
Show all 38 primary schools
Inspection reports for Douglas’s schools
The Department of Education’s Inspectorate: every school’s reports linked, 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; each of the 66 schools below links its own.
Department of Education Inspectorate reports on gov.ie, found by each school’s roll number.
Post-primary schools within reach of Douglas
Every post-primary school within 10 km of the town; families choose and apply to each, at about twelve
36 post-primary schools are within 10 km of Douglas: 23 voluntary secondary schools, 7 ETB schools, 5 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 4 of them.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Boys | – | 605 | 1.8 km |
| Regina Mundi CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 564 | 2.2 km |
| Nagle Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 315 | 2.8 km |
| Ursuline College BlackrockVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 352 | 3 km |
| St Francis Capuchin CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 730 | 3.1 km |
| Christ King Girls' Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 700 | 3.3 km |
| Ashton SchoolComprehensive · Church of Ireland | Girls and boys | – | 539 | 3.4 km |
| Coláiste Chríost RíVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 502 | 3.7 km |
| Coláiste DaibhéidETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste, DEIS | 151 | 4.1 km |
| Presentation Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 190 | 4.2 km |
| Coláiste Éamann RísVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 811 | 4.3 km |
| Cork Educate Together Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 403 | 4.7 km |
All 36 post-primary schools within reach
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scoil MhuireVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | Fee-paying | 432 | 4.9 km |
| St Patricks CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 218 | 4.9 km |
| Gaelcholáiste Charraig Ui LeighinETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 302 | 4.9 km |
| Christian Brothers CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | Fee-paying | 919 | 5 km |
| St. Angela's CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 606 | 5 km |
| Mayfield Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 362 | 5.1 km |
| St Aloysius SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 323 | 5.1 km |
| Presentation Brothers CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | Fee-paying | 692 | 5.4 km |
| St Peter's Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 354 | 5.6 km |
| Colaiste An PhiarsaighVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste, Boarding | 578 | 5.7 km |
| St Vincent's Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 283 | 5.7 km |
| North Monastery Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 271 | 5.9 km |
| Gaelcholáiste MhuireVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste, DEIS | 690 | 6 km |
| Carrigaline Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,072 | 6.2 km |
| St Aidan's Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 309 | 6.4 km |
| Nano Nagle CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 161 | 6.5 km |
| Coláiste an Spioraid NaoimhVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 715 | 6.8 km |
| Terence Mac Swiney Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 302 | 6.9 km |
| Mount Mercy CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 811 | 6.9 km |
| Edmund Rice CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 580 | 7.3 km |
| Bishopstown Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 306 | 7.3 km |
| Glanmire Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,141 | 7.4 km |
| Coláiste MuireVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 709 | 8.9 km |
| Carrignafoy Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 322 | 9.4 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Douglas
12 special schools serve the area: St Marys Spec Sch, Rochestown Community Special School, Scoil Triest, School of the Divine Child (Scoil an Linbh Íosa), Scoil Aislinn, Sonas Special Primary Junior School, St Kevins School, St Paul's School, Carrigaline Community Special School, Scoil Eanna, St Bernadettes Spec Sch and Cara Junior School, 772 pupils between them. 29 of the 38 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.
Douglas beside the 55 other Irish towns of 15,400 to 29,700 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ennis | 27,923 | 18 | 7,595 | 1 | 33% | 0.3 km |
| … | ||||||
| Letterkenny | 22,549 | 15 | 6,825 | 2 | 20% | 0.4 km |
| Clonsilla | 22,510 | 56 | 29,411 | 3 | 21% | 0.6 km |
| Sandymount | 22,340 | 133 | 40,801 | 10 | 26% | 0.8 km |
| Ballymun | 22,321 | 93 | 27,057 | 9 | 58% | 0.9 km |
| Douglas | 22,029 | 66 | 20,250 | 10 | 20% | 1.8 km |
| Greystones-Delgany | 22,009 | 13 | 7,013 | 1 | 0% | 0.8 km |
| Ballincollig | 21,940 | 28 | 11,989 | 4 | 14% | 0.6 km |
| Wexford | 21,524 | 16 | 6,749 | 1 | 25% | 0.5 km |
| Carpenterstown | 20,967 | 102 | 40,675 | 5 | 40% | 0.3 km |
| … | ||||||
| Tallaght | 15,588 | 85 | 30,738 | 9 | 42% | 0.8 km |
Of these 55 other towns, 27 count more pupils at their schools than Douglas. 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 Douglas
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 Douglas had 19,234 pupils in 2015/16 and 20,250 in 2025/26. Gaelcholáiste Charraig Ui Leighin grew most: +156% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Douglas
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 Douglas
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas | 66 | 20,250 | 10 | 20% | 1.8 km |
| Tramore 2.5 km | 75 | 22,562 | 7 | 48% | 0.7 km |
| Frankfield and Grange 2.6 km | 58 | 20,798 | 6 | 24% | 2 km |
| Mahon 2.7 km | 63 | 18,590 | 8 | 30% | 0.4 km |
| Ballinlough 2.7 km | 79 | 23,116 | 7 | 47% | 0.6 km |
| Knockrea 3.6 km | 84 | 24,668 | 9 | 49% | 0.3 km |
| Turner's Cross 3.9 km | 77 | 24,127 | 7 | 44% | 0.3 km |
Of Douglas’s neighbours, Mahon saw the most growth in pupils since 2019/20 (+3%) and Turner's Cross the least (+0%); Douglas itself: +3%.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Douglas 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 Douglas
How many schools are there in Douglas?
In Douglas or within 3 km of it: 38 primary schools, 16 secondary schools and 12 special schools, with 20,250 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Douglas that teach through Irish?
Yes, 10: Scoil an Athair Tadhg O Murchu, Gaelscoil Mhachan and Gaelscoil Ui Drisceoil teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Douglas?
No: all 16 secondary schools here are free.
What is the best school in Douglas?
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 Douglas?
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).