Photo: Jonathan Thacker · CC BY-SA 2.0Fewer of the schools around Passage West-Monkstown are in DEIS than around Co. Cork’s towns or Irish towns: 6%
That leaves Passage West-Monkstown below both Co. Cork’s towns (40%) and Irish towns (35%). In or within 3 km of Passage West-Monkstown, they have 4,438 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 Passage West-Monkstown’s schools
A wide choice at twelve
Families here can choose among 28 post-primary schools within 10 km of the town, of more than one kind; each admits on its own published policy, so applying to more than one is common. The nearest: St Peter's Community School (0.1 km), St Francis Capuchin College (2.5 km) and Coláiste Muire (3.4 km). Post-primary choices ↓
Few schools in DEIS
Only 1 of the 16 schools here are in DEIS, the programme of extra teachers and money for schools serving disadvantaged areas; across Ireland, 30% of schools are. The one in DEIS: Ringaskiddy Lower Harbour N.S. (58). Who goes there ↓
Facts from the Department of Education’s lists; nothing here judges how well a school teaches.
Where the 16 schools in and around Passage West-Monkstown 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 Passage West-Monkstown’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 Passage West-Monkstown
Schools by the language they teach in; the black tick is Ireland’s share.
None of the 16 schools in and around Passage West-Monkstown teaches every subject through Irish.
Who Passage West-Monkstown’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 Passage West-Monkstown | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 1% | 18% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 0% | 8% | 6% |
| Girls | 39% | 49% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 41% | 33% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 0% | 7% | 6% |
Around Passage West-Monkstown, 1% 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: 41% against 29%. The largest DEIS school here is Ringaskiddy Lower Harbour N.S., with 58 pupils.
Each of the 16 schools
| School | Pupils | Girls | DEIS | All-Irish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Peter's Community SchoolPost-primary · Community school | 354 | 52% | ||
| Star of the Sea Primary SchoolPrimary | 352 | 47% | ||
| Monkstown N.S.Primary | 194 | 51% | ||
| Shanbally N.S.Primary | 192 | 43% | ||
| Bunscoil Rinn an ChabhlaighPrimary | 679 | 44% | ||
| St Francis Capuchin CollegePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 730 | 0% | ||
| St Marys Spec SchSpecial | 85 | 31% | ||
| Little Island N.S.Primary | 141 | 51% | ||
| Ringaskiddy Lower Harbour N.S.Primary | 58 | 45% | ✓ | |
| Owenabue ETNSPrimary | 118 | 49% | ||
| St Marys National SchoolPrimary | 248 | 100% | ||
| Rochestown Community Special SchoolSpecial | 66 | 18% | ||
| Coláiste MuirePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 709 | 47% | ||
| S.N. Seosamh CobhPrimary | 261 | 0% | ||
| Carrigaline Community Special SchoolSpecial | 47 | 26% | ||
| St Mary's Church of Ireland N.SPrimary | 204 | 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 Passage West-Monkstown’s schools
Each school’s ethos, 2025/26: the bars show the share of schools of each kind.
11 of Passage West-Monkstown’s 16 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Bishop of Cork & Ross (5), Bishop of Cloyne (3) and Cork ETB (2). 1 of the 16 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 9 patrons of Passage West-Monkstown’s schools
Patrons own the schools and set their ethos; boards of management run them day to day.
The schools around Passage West-Monkstown answer to 9 patrons, and Bishop of Cork & Ross leads with 5 of the 16 schools and 21% of their pupils. 3 are ETB schools. Educate Together runs one.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop of Cork & RossStar of the Sea Primary School, Monkstown, Shanbally, Little Island, Ringaskiddy Lower Harbour | Catholic | 5 | 937 |
| Bishop of CloyneBunscoil Rinn an Chabhlaigh, S.N. Seosamh Cobh, St Marys | Catholic | 3 | 1,188 |
| Cork ETBRochestown Community Special School, Carrigaline Community Special School | Multi-denominational | 2 | 113 |
| Capuchin Franciscan Order (Provincial Council)St Francis Capuchin College | Catholic | 1 | 730 |
| Presentation Brothers Schools TrustColáiste Muire | Catholic | 1 | 709 |
| Cork ETB & Religious Sisters of MercySt Peter's | Inter-denominational | 1 | 354 |
| Bishop of Cork, Cloyne & Ross COISt Mary's Church of Ireland N.S | Church of Ireland | 1 | 204 |
| Educate TogetherOwenabue ETNS | Multi-denominational | 1 | 118 |
| Brothers of Charity (Southern Services) Brother John O'SheaSt Marys Spec Sch | Catholic | 1 | 85 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Passage West-Monkstown
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
Since 2019/20, 1 of these 12 schools have grown by 5% or more and 8 have shrunk as much; across Ireland the number of pupils changed by +5%.
All 12 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 16 schools in and around Passage West-Monkstown
Here are the schools in Passage West-Monkstown 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 Passage West-Monkstown’s schools
The Inspectorate’s published reports for each school, linked, without ratings
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 16 schools below links its own.
| School | Reports on gov.ie |
|---|---|
| St Peter's Community SchoolPost-primary · Community school | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Star of the Sea Primary SchoolPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Monkstown N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Shanbally N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Bunscoil Rinn an ChabhlaighPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| St Francis Capuchin CollegePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| St Marys Spec SchSpecial | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Little Island N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Ringaskiddy Lower Harbour N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Owenabue ETNSPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| St Marys National SchoolPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Rochestown Community Special SchoolSpecial | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Coláiste MuirePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| S.N. Seosamh CobhPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Carrigaline Community Special SchoolSpecial | Inspection reports ↗ |
| St Mary's Church of Ireland N.SPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
Department of Education Inspectorate reports on gov.ie, found by each school’s roll number.
Post-primary schools within reach of Passage West-Monkstown
Post-primary schools within 10 km of the town; children move at about twelve, and families apply to each school
28 post-primary schools are within 10 km of Passage West-Monkstown: 17 voluntary secondary schools, 6 ETB schools, 4 community schools and one comprehensive school. 10 teach girls and boys apart: 6 girls’ and 4 boys’ schools. Fees are charged at 2 of them. Every subject is taught through Irish at 3 of them.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Peter's Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 354 | 0.1 km |
| St Francis Capuchin CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 730 | 2.5 km |
| Coláiste MuireVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 709 | 3.4 km |
| Carrignafoy Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 322 | 3.9 km |
| Nagle Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 315 | 5.1 km |
| Gaelcholáiste Charraig Ui LeighinETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 302 | 6.1 km |
| Ursuline College BlackrockVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 352 | 6.1 km |
| Carrigaline Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,072 | 6.2 km |
| Colaiste An PhiarsaighVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste, Boarding | 578 | 7 km |
| Edmund Rice CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 580 | 7 km |
| Douglas Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Boys | – | 605 | 7.1 km |
| Regina Mundi CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 564 | 7.3 km |
All 28 post-primary schools within reach
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Aloysius CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 765 | 7.4 km |
| Carrigtwohill Post PrimaryETB · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 912 | 7.5 km |
| Colaiste MuireVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 523 | 7.8 km |
| Glanmire Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,141 | 7.8 km |
| Ashton SchoolComprehensive · Church of Ireland | Girls and boys | – | 539 | 8.2 km |
| Christ King Girls' Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 700 | 8.6 km |
| Mayfield Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 362 | 8.7 km |
| Coláiste Chríost RíVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 502 | 8.9 km |
| St Patricks CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 218 | 9.1 km |
| Coláiste DaibhéidETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste, DEIS | 151 | 9.2 km |
| Cork Educate Together Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 403 | 9.3 km |
| Coláiste Éamann RísVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 811 | 9.5 km |
| Scoil MhuireVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | Fee-paying | 432 | 9.6 km |
| Presentation Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 190 | 9.7 km |
| Christian Brothers CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | Fee-paying | 919 | 9.7 km |
| St. Angela's CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 606 | 9.8 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Passage West-Monkstown
3 special schools serve the area: St Marys Spec Sch, Rochestown Community Special School and Carrigaline Community Special School, 198 pupils between them. 8 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.
Passage West-Monkstown beside the 99 other Irish towns of 4,200 to 8,200 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bandon | 8,196 | 10 | 3,617 | 1 | 10% | 0.4 km |
| … | ||||||
| Sallins | 6,269 | 9 | 5,832 | 1 | 0% | 2.3 km |
| Dock | 6,258 | 45 | 15,206 | 5 | 49% | 0.3 km |
| Lisduggan | 6,216 | 29 | 11,782 | 1 | 45% | 0.2 km |
| The Glen | 6,119 | 66 | 19,000 | 5 | 50% | 0.5 km |
| Passage West-Monkstown | 6,051 | 16 | 4,438 | 0 | 6% | 0.1 km |
| Kinsale | 5,991 | 5 | 2,264 | 1 | 0% | 0.5 km |
| Glasheen | 5,981 | 66 | 21,351 | 6 | 50% | 1.1 km |
| Ayrfield | 5,863 | 73 | 20,467 | 5 | 40% | 0.6 km |
| Gillabbey | 5,857 | 72 | 22,124 | 6 | 50% | 0.7 km |
| … | ||||||
| St Luke's | 4,278 | 70 | 20,531 | 6 | 51% | 0.1 km |
Among the 99 other towns, 63 have more pupils at their schools than Passage West-Monkstown does. 86 of the 100 towns have an all-Irish school within 3 km.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Pupil numbers around Passage West-Monkstown
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 Passage West-Monkstown had 4,431 pupils in 2015/16 and 4,438 in 2025/26. St Marys Spec Sch grew most: +29% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Passage West-Monkstown
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 Passage West-Monkstown
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passage West-Monkstown | 16 | 4,438 | 0 | 6% | 0.1 km |
| Cobh 2.9 km | 13 | 3,613 | 1 | 23% | 0.8 km |
| Glounthaune 5.1 km | 32 | 10,210 | 4 | 19% | 3.7 km |
| Douglas 5.6 km | 66 | 20,250 | 10 | 20% | 1.8 km |
| Mahon 5.8 km | 63 | 18,590 | 8 | 30% | 0.4 km |
| Carrigaline 6.6 km | 12 | 4,439 | 2 | 8% | 0.5 km |
| Glanmire 6.9 km | 27 | 7,395 | 5 | 26% | 0.9 km |
Douglas has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 10. Of Passage West-Monkstown’s neighbours, Glounthaune saw the most growth in pupils since 2019/20 (+10%) and Cobh the least (−11%); Passage West-Monkstown itself: −3%.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Passage West-Monkstown 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 Passage West-Monkstown
How many schools are there in Passage West-Monkstown?
In Passage West-Monkstown or within 3 km of it: 10 primary schools, 3 secondary schools and 3 special schools, with 4,438 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Passage West-Monkstown that teach through Irish?
None in Passage West-Monkstown or within 3 km of it teaches every subject through Irish; some teach it as a subject only.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Passage West-Monkstown?
No: all 3 secondary schools here are free.
What is the best school in Passage West-Monkstown?
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 Passage West-Monkstown?
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).