Photo: Sebastian “sebrem” B… · CC BY-SA 3.0Mahon has 2 fee-paying secondary schools in and around it
Every subject is taught through Irish at 13% of the schools around Mahon, above both Co. Cork’s towns (9%) and Irish towns (8%). 34 primary schools, 18 secondary schools and 11 special schools are in or within 3 km of Mahon, with 18,590 pupils between them. Nothing here grades or ranks these schools: Ireland publishes no results school by school, 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 Mahon’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
36 post-primary schools lie within 10 km, so families here have a real choice at twelve; each admits on its own policy. The nearest: Ursuline College Blackrock (0.4 km), Nagle Community College (0.7 km) and Regina Mundi College (2.4 km). Post-primary choices ↓
One school growing fast
Ursuline College Blackrock has grown from 243 pupils in 2019/20 to 352, the fastest of the schools here. Getting a place ↓
From the Department of Education’s school lists: facts, not judgements of how well a school teaches.
The 63 schools in and around Mahon
Here are the schools in Mahon or within 3 km of it, every one with its own page. Without school-level results from Ireland, the cards show no letters.
Show all 34 primary schools
Where the 63 schools in and around Mahon 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 Mahon’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 Mahon
Schools by the language they teach in; the black tick is Ireland’s share.
8 of Mahon’s 63 schools teach every subject through Irish: Gaelscoil Mhachan, Scoil an Athair Tadhg O Murchu and Gaelscoil Ui Drisceoil.
Who Mahon’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 Mahon | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 23% | 18% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 12% | 8% | 6% |
| Girls | 50% | 49% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 60% | 33% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 15% | 7% | 6% |
Fewer of the pupils around Mahon are at DEIS schools than across Ireland: 23% against 27% (Co. Cork: 18%). Furthest from Ireland’s mix is the share of post-primary pupils at single-sex schools: 60% here against 29%. The biggest school in DEIS is Coláiste Éamann Rís (811 pupils).
Each of the 63 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 Mahon’s schools
Who runs each school, as listed for 2025/26; the bars give the share of schools of each kind.
48 of Mahon’s 63 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Bishop of Cork & Ross (30), Cork ETB (3) and Bishop of Cork, Cloyne & Ross COI (3). 19 of the 63 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 Mahon’s schools
Each school has a patron that owns it and sets its ethos; its board of management runs it.
The schools around Mahon answer to 18 patrons, and Bishop of Cork & Ross leads with 30 of the 63 schools and 39% of their pupils. Education and Training Boards run 6 of them. Educate Together runs 3.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop of Cork & RossScoil Nioclais, S.N. Naomh Antaine, Scoil Phadraig Naofa, Bunscoil Chriost Ri, Scoil an Athair Tadhg O Murchu, St Columbas, Scoil Naomh Brid C, Douglas B, S.N. Barra Naofa Cailini, Scoil Mhuire agus Eoin, S.N. Barra Naofa Bhuach, Ballintemple, St Patricks College, Our Lady of Lourdes, Scoil na Croise Naofa, Gaelscoil an Teaghlaigh Naofa, Scoil Ursula, Scoil Maria Assumpta, St Patricks B, Lower Glanmire, Little Island, Gaelscoil Mhachan, S.N. Padraig Naofa C, S.N. Bhreanndain C, Realt na Maidine, St Killians Spec Sch, S.N. Mharcuis B, S.N. Padraig Naofa, School of the Divine Child, St Kevins School | Catholic | 30 | 7,335 |
| Educate TogetherDouglas Rochestown Educate Together, Cork Educate Together, South Lee Educate Together | Multi-denominational | 3 | 1,071 |
| Cork ETBNagle, Coláiste Daibhéid, Rochestown Community Special School | Inter-denominational, Multi-denominational | 3 | 532 |
| Bishop of Cork, Cloyne & Ross COISt Lukes N.S. Douglas, Scoil Naomh Micheal, St Lukes Mxd | Church of Ireland | 3 | 401 |
| Bishop of Cork & Ross & COPE FoundationSt Bernadettes Spec Sch, St Paul's School, Scoil Eanna | Catholic | 3 | 290 |
| Brothers of Charity (Southern Services) Brother John O'SheaSt Marys Spec Sch, Scoil Triest, Cara Junior School | Catholic | 3 | 229 |
| Edmund Rice Schools TrustChristian Brothers College, Coláiste Éamann Rís | Catholic | 2 | 1,730 |
| Cork ETB & Bishop of Cork and RossDouglas, Mayfield | Inter-denominational | 2 | 967 |
| Le Chéile Schools TrustSt. Angela's College, Ursuline College Blackrock | Catholic | 2 | 958 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Named IndividualScoil Mhuire | Catholic | 1 | 432 |
| COPE FoundationScoil Aislinn | Other | 1 | 36 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Mahon
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
Of these 51 schools, 18 have grown by at least 5% since 2019/20 and 22 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.
Inspection reports for Mahon’s schools
The Department of Education’s Inspectorate: every school’s reports linked, none rated
Each school is visited by inspectors from time to time, for a whole-school evaluation of teaching, learning and leadership, for one subject, or to follow up earlier advice, and every report is posted 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 63 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 Mahon
All post-primaries within 10 km; at about twelve, families choose and apply school by school
36 post-primary schools are within 10 km of Mahon: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ursuline College BlackrockVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 352 | 0.4 km |
| Nagle Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 315 | 0.7 km |
| Regina Mundi CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 564 | 2.4 km |
| Douglas Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Boys | – | 605 | 2.6 km |
| Ashton SchoolComprehensive · Church of Ireland | Girls and boys | – | 539 | 2.7 km |
| Colaiste An PhiarsaighVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste, Boarding | 578 | 3 km |
| Mayfield Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 362 | 3.1 km |
| St Patricks CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 218 | 3.4 km |
| Christ King Girls' Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 700 | 3.5 km |
| Cork Educate Together Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 403 | 3.5 km |
| Coláiste Chríost RíVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 502 | 3.6 km |
| St Francis Capuchin CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 730 | 3.6 km |
All 36 post-primary schools within reach
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coláiste DaibhéidETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste, DEIS | 151 | 3.7 km |
| Scoil MhuireVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | Fee-paying | 432 | 4 km |
| Christian Brothers CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | Fee-paying | 919 | 4 km |
| St. Angela's CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 606 | 4.1 km |
| Coláiste Éamann RísVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 811 | 4.2 km |
| Presentation Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 190 | 4.6 km |
| Glanmire Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,141 | 4.7 km |
| St Aidan's Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 309 | 4.7 km |
| St Vincent's Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 283 | 4.8 km |
| St Aloysius SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 323 | 4.8 km |
| North Monastery Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 271 | 5 km |
| Presentation Brothers CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | Fee-paying | 692 | 5 km |
| Gaelcholáiste MhuireVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste, DEIS | 690 | 5 km |
| Nano Nagle CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 161 | 5.5 km |
| St Peter's Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 354 | 5.8 km |
| Terence Mac Swiney Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 302 | 6.4 km |
| Mount Mercy CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 811 | 7.2 km |
| Coláiste an Spioraid NaoimhVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 715 | 7.3 km |
| Gaelcholáiste Charraig Ui LeighinETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 302 | 7.4 km |
| Bishopstown Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 306 | 7.8 km |
| Carrigaline Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,072 | 8.5 km |
| Coláiste MuireVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 709 | 9.2 km |
| Carrignafoy Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 322 | 9.6 km |
| Edmund Rice CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 580 | 9.6 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Mahon
11 special schools serve the area: School of the Divine Child (Scoil an Linbh Íosa), Scoil Triest, St Bernadettes Spec Sch, St Paul's School, Scoil Eanna, Rochestown Community Special School, Scoil Aislinn, St Killians Spec Sch, Cara Junior School, St Kevins School and St Marys Spec Sch, 783 pupils between them. 27 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.
Mahon beside the 88 other Irish towns of 9,700 to 18,800 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphins Barn | 18,799 | 135 | 32,910 | 9 | 56% | 0.4 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 |
| Knocklyon | 13,854 | 75 | 27,868 | 6 | 23% | 0.3 km |
| Deansrath | 13,743 | 64 | 26,713 | 6 | 34% | 0.3 km |
| Whitehall | 13,675 | 132 | 37,232 | 12 | 61% | 0.2 km |
| Mallow | 13,456 | 11 | 4,357 | 1 | 18% | 0.6 km |
| … | ||||||
| Killiney | 9,776 | 45 | 13,019 | 1 | 31% | 0.7 km |
Among the 88 other towns, 48 have more pupils at their schools than Mahon 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 Mahon
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 Mahon had 17,797 pupils in 2015/16 and 18,590 in 2025/26. Coláiste Éamann Rís grew most: +149% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Mahon
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 Mahon
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mahon | 63 | 18,590 | 8 | 30% | 0.4 km |
| Tivoli 2.1 km | 76 | 23,233 | 10 | 45% | 1 km |
| Ballinlough 2.4 km | 79 | 23,116 | 7 | 47% | 0.6 km |
| Douglas 2.7 km | 66 | 20,250 | 10 | 20% | 1.8 km |
| Knockrea 2.8 km | 84 | 24,668 | 9 | 49% | 0.3 km |
| Montenotte 2.9 km | 70 | 20,121 | 8 | 49% | 0.5 km |
| Tramore 3 km | 75 | 22,562 | 7 | 48% | 0.7 km |
Tivoli has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 10. Since 2019/20 the pupils around Mahon changed by +3%; among its neighbours, Douglas’s grew most (+3%) and Tivoli’s least (−0%).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Mahon 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 Mahon
How many schools are there in Mahon?
In Mahon or within 3 km of it: 34 primary schools, 18 secondary schools and 11 special schools, with 18,590 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Mahon that teach through Irish?
Yes, 8: Gaelscoil Mhachan, Scoil an Athair Tadhg O Murchu and Gaelscoil Ui Drisceoil teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Mahon?
2 of the 18: Scoil Mhuire and Christian Brothers College. The others are free.
What is the best school in Mahon?
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 Mahon?
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).