Fewer single-sex secondaries around Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg than around Co. Cork’s towns or Irish towns: 0%
That leaves Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg below both Co. Cork’s towns (44%) and Irish towns (39%). In or within 3 km of Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg, they have 3,287 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.
Schools in the town or within 3 km of its outline, Department of Education lists for 2025/26; the Ireland figures cover all schools listed.
What stands out about Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg’s schools
A wide choice at twelve
Families here can choose among 10 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: Coláiste Muire (3.3 km), Colaiste Muire (3.3 km) and Carrignafoy Community College (3.6 km). Post-primary choices ↓
Drawn from the Department of Education’s lists; none of it judges how well a school teaches.
Where the 11 schools in and around Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg 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 Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg’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 Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg
How many schools teach through each language; the tick marks Ireland’s share.
None of the 11 schools in and around Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg teaches every subject through Irish.
Who Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg’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 Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 2% | 18% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 0% | 8% | 6% |
| Girls | 48% | 49% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 0% | 33% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 0% | 7% | 6% |
DEIS schools teach 2% of the pupils around Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg, a smaller share than Ireland’s 27% (Co. Cork: 18%). Where this area differs most from Ireland is post-primary pupils at single-sex schools, at 0% against 29%. Ringaskiddy Lower Harbour N.S., with 58 pupils, is the largest school here in DEIS.
Each of the 11 schools
| School | Pupils | Girls | DEIS | All-Irish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ringaskiddy Lower Harbour N.S.Primary | 58 | 45% | ✓ | |
| Shanbally N.S.Primary | 192 | 43% | ||
| Monkstown N.S.Primary | 194 | 51% | ||
| Bunscoil Rinn an ChabhlaighPrimary | 679 | 44% | ||
| S.N. Cros TseainPrimary | 215 | 0% | ||
| St Marys National SchoolPrimary | 248 | 100% | ||
| Cobh N.S.Primary | 15 | 60% | ✓ | |
| S.N. Bun an TsabhairnePrimary | 193 | 100% | ||
| Coláiste MuirePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 709 | 47% | ||
| S.N. Seosamh CobhPrimary | 261 | 0% | ||
| Colaiste MuirePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 523 | 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 Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg’s schools
Who runs each school, as listed for 2025/26; the bars give the share of schools of each kind.
10 of Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg’s 11 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 Bishop of Cork, Cloyne & Ross COI (1). 2 of the 11 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 5 patrons of Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg’s schools
The patron owns the school and sets its ethos; a board of management runs it day to day.
The schools around Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg answer to 5 patrons, and Bishop of Cork & Ross leads with 5 of the 11 schools and 26% of their pupils.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop of Cork & RossS.N. Cros Tseain, Monkstown, S.N. Bun an Tsabhairne, Shanbally, Ringaskiddy Lower Harbour | Catholic | 5 | 852 |
| Bishop of CloyneBunscoil Rinn an Chabhlaigh, S.N. Seosamh Cobh, St Marys | Catholic | 3 | 1,188 |
| Presentation Brothers Schools TrustColáiste Muire | Catholic | 1 | 709 |
| CEISTColaiste Muire | Catholic | 1 | 523 |
| 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 Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg
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 11 schools, 2 have grown by at least 5% since 2019/20 and 9 have lost as much; Ireland’s pupils changed by +5%.
All 11 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 11 schools in and around Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg
Each school in or within 3 km of Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg links to a page of its own. No letters, no results: Irish schools aren’t ranked one by one.
Inspection reports for Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg’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 11 schools below links its own.
| School | Reports on gov.ie |
|---|---|
| Ringaskiddy Lower Harbour N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Shanbally N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Monkstown N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Bunscoil Rinn an ChabhlaighPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| S.N. Cros TseainPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| St Marys National SchoolPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Cobh N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| S.N. Bun an TsabhairnePrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Coláiste MuirePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| S.N. Seosamh CobhPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Colaiste MuirePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Inspection reports ↗ |
Department of Education Inspectorate reports on gov.ie, found by each school’s roll number.
Post-primary schools within reach of Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg
All post-primaries within 10 km; at about twelve, families choose and apply school by school
10 post-primary schools are within 10 km of Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg: 5 voluntary secondary schools, 3 ETB schools and 2 community schools. Of these, 2 are single-sex: 1 for girls and 1 for boys. Just one teaches every subject through Irish.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coláiste MuireVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 709 | 3.3 km |
| Colaiste MuireVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 523 | 3.3 km |
| Carrignafoy Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 322 | 3.6 km |
| St Peter's Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 354 | 4.4 km |
| Carrigaline Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,072 | 4.9 km |
| Edmund Rice CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 580 | 5 km |
| Gaelcholáiste Charraig Ui LeighinETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 302 | 5.8 km |
| St Francis Capuchin CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 730 | 6 km |
| Nagle Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 315 | 9.1 km |
| St Aloysius CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 765 | 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 Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg
No special school is in or near Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg. 6 of the 9 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.
Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg beside the 215 other Irish towns of 400 to 800 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crinkill | 795 | 7 | 1,708 | 1 | 86% | 3.1 km |
| … | ||||||
| Fahan | 589 | 1 | 189 | 0 | 0% | 4.9 km |
| Killala | 587 | 3 | 191 | 0 | 67% | 4.9 km |
| Ballyneety | 586 | 3 | 321 | 0 | 0% | 7 km |
| Lackaghbeg | 576 | 2 | 296 | 0 | 0% | 4.7 km |
| Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg | 575 | 11 | 3,287 | 0 | 18% | 3.4 km |
| Shercock | 574 | 2 | 217 | 0 | 0% | 11 km |
| Fieries | 573 | 2 | 303 | 0 | 0% | 8.7 km |
| Frenchpark | 572 | 1 | 104 | 0 | 100% | 12 km |
| St. Johnston | 571 | 4 | 311 | 0 | 100% | 10 km |
| … | ||||||
| Oilgate | 401 | 2 | 152 | 0 | 100% | 6.2 km |
Among the 215 other towns, 2 have more pupils at their schools than Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg does. An all-Irish school is within 3 km of 18 of the 216.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Pupil numbers around Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg
Every school in or within 3 km of the town each September, counted where it stands today.
The schools in and around Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg had 3,566 pupils in 2015/16 and 3,287 in 2025/26, fewer than before. Colaiste Muire grew most: +16% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg
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 Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg | 11 | 3,287 | 0 | 18% | 3.4 km |
| Cobh 2.8 km | 13 | 3,613 | 1 | 23% | 0.8 km |
| Crosshaven 3.6 km | 5 | 1,057 | 0 | 20% | 0.5 km |
| Passage West-Monkstown 4.4 km | 16 | 4,438 | 0 | 6% | 0.1 km |
| Carrigaline 5.4 km | 12 | 4,439 | 2 | 8% | 0.5 km |
| Whitegate 6.4 km | 2 | 391 | 0 | 0% | 5.2 km |
| Aghada-Rostellan 7.4 km | 3 | 574 | 0 | 0% | 5.5 km |
Carrigaline has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 2. Pupils around Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg: −6% since 2019/20. Among the neighbours, Carrigaline led (+9%) and Cobh trailed (−11%).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg 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 Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg
How many schools are there in Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg?
In Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg or within 3 km of it: 9 primary schools and 2 secondary schools, with 3,287 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg that teach through Irish?
None in Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg 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 Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg?
No: all 2 secondary schools here are free.
What is the best school in Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg?
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 Ringaskiddy-Loughbeg?
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).