Photo: Kenneth Allen · CC BY-SA 2.0DEIS support is widespread around Castlefinn: 100% of schools, above Co. Donegal’s towns and Irish towns
Around Castlefinn, 100% of schools are in DEIS, above both Co. Donegal’s towns (38%) and Irish towns (35%). 4 of its 4 schools are in DEIS, the extra support for schools in disadvantaged areas, against 30% across Ireland. These schools are described rather than graded, because Ireland publishes no school results and the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing them.
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 Castlefinn’s schools
Extra support for many schools
Many schools here are in DEIS, which gives schools in disadvantaged areas more teachers, money and help; across Ireland, 30% of schools are. In DEIS: St Mary's National School (155), SN Naomh Samhthann (40), S.N. Domhnach Mor (22) and Scoil Cholmcille Naofa (17). Who runs them ↓
Fewer pupils than before
Pupil numbers at the schools here have fallen since 2019/20, against +5% across Ireland. Pupils over time ↓
One school growing fast
Of the schools here, St Mary's National School has grown fastest, from 124 in 2019/20 to 155. Getting a place ↓
Facts from the Department of Education’s lists; nothing here judges how well a school teaches.
Where the 4 schools in and around Castlefinn 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 Castlefinn’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.
Who runs Castlefinn’s schools
Each school’s ethos, 2025/26: the bars show the share of schools of each kind.
3 of Castlefinn’s 4 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Bishop of Derry (3) and Presbytery of Derry & Donegal (1). 4 of the 4 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.
Pupil numbers around Castlefinn
Every school in or within 3 km of the town each September, counted where it stands today.
The schools in and around Castlefinn had 326 pupils in 2015/16 and 234 in 2025/26, fewer than before. St Mary's National School grew most: +25% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Castlefinn
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.
Teaching through Irish in and around Castlefinn
The schools by teaching language, with Ireland’s share as the black tick.
None of the 4 schools in and around Castlefinn teaches every subject through Irish.
Who Castlefinn’s schools serve
Shares of the pupils at the area’s schools, beside Co. Donegal’s and Ireland’s, 2025/26
Each bar is the area’s share; the tick marks Ireland’s.
| Share of pupils | Around Castlefinn | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 100% | 62% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 0% | 10% | 6% |
| Girls | 51% | 49% | 49% |
More of the pupils around Castlefinn are at DEIS schools than across Ireland: 100% against 27% (Co. Donegal: 62%). The biggest difference from Ireland is in pupils at all-Irish schools: 0% here, 6% there. Of the DEIS schools here, St Mary's National School is the biggest: 155 pupils.
Each of the 4 schools
| School | Pupils | Girls | DEIS | All-Irish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary's National SchoolPrimary | 155 | 51% | ✓ | |
| S.N. Domhnach MorPrimary | 22 | 32% | ✓ | |
| SN Naomh SamhthannPrimary | 40 | 60% | ✓ | |
| Scoil Cholmcille NaofaPrimary | 17 | 59% | ✓ |
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.
The 2 patrons of Castlefinn’s schools
Patrons own the schools and set their ethos; boards of management run them day to day.
The schools around Castlefinn answer to 2 patrons, and Bishop of Derry leads with 3 of the 4 schools and 91% of their pupils.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop of DerrySt Mary's, SN Naomh Samhthann, Scoil Cholmcille Naofa | Catholic | 3 | 212 |
| Presbytery of Derry & DonegalS.N. Domhnach Mor | Presbyterian | 1 | 22 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Castlefinn
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 4 schools, 1 have grown by at least 5% since 2019/20 and 3 have lost as much; Ireland’s pupils changed by +5%.
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 4 schools in and around Castlefinn
Here are the schools in Castlefinn or within 3 km of it, every one with its own page. You won’t find letters or results below: Ireland publishes none for single schools.
Inspection reports for Castlefinn’s schools
Reports from the Department of Education’s Inspectorate, every school’s linked and 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 4 schools below links its own.
| School | Reports on gov.ie |
|---|---|
| St Mary's National SchoolPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| S.N. Domhnach MorPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| SN Naomh SamhthannPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Scoil Cholmcille NaofaPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
Department of Education Inspectorate reports on gov.ie, found by each school’s roll number.
Post-primary schools within reach of Castlefinn
All post-primaries within 10 km; at about twelve, families choose and apply school by school
Within 10 km of Castlefinn there are 2 post-primary schools: one ETB school and one comprehensive school. Every one of them takes girls and boys. None within 10 km teaches every subject through Irish.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deele CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 840 | 7.7 km |
| The Royal and Prior SchoolComprehensive · Church of Ireland | Girls and boys | DEIS, Boarding | 609 | 7.9 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Castlefinn
No special school is in or near Castlefinn. 1 of the 4 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.
Castlefinn beside the 187 other Irish towns of 500 to 1,000 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castletownbere | 999 | 3 | 524 | 0 | 67% | 0.4 km |
| … | ||||||
| Killenard | 741 | 3 | 1,391 | 0 | 0% | 5 km |
| Taghmon | 740 | 1 | 183 | 0 | 100% | 9 km |
| Moneenroe | 739 | 3 | 236 | 0 | 67% | 5.2 km |
| Kildalkey | 739 | 1 | 210 | 0 | 0% | 6 km |
| Castlefinn | 730 | 4 | 234 | 0 | 100% | 7.7 km |
| Bweeng | 728 | 1 | 113 | 0 | 0% | 10 km |
| An Cheathrú Rua | 725 | 3 | 661 | 2 | 67% | 0.8 km |
| Clonlara | 724 | 1 | 276 | 0 | 0% | 6.4 km |
| Grenagh | 724 | 1 | 197 | 0 | 0% | 9.6 km |
| … | ||||||
| Stradbally | 500 | 2 | 134 | 0 | 0% | 8.7 km |
Among the 187 other towns, 97 have more pupils at their schools than Castlefinn does. An all-Irish school is within 3 km of 16 of the 188.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Schools in the towns around Castlefinn
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castlefinn | 4 | 234 | 0 | 100% | 7.7 km |
| Lifford 7.3 km | 3 | 303 | 0 | 100% | 8 km |
| Raphoe 7.5 km | 4 | 1,792 | 0 | 100% | 0.2 km |
| Convoy 8 km | 4 | 1,290 | 0 | 75% | 4 km |
| Ballybofey-Stranorlar 12 km | 7 | 2,400 | 0 | 57% | 0.6 km |
Pupils around Castlefinn: −14% since 2019/20. Among the neighbours, Convoy led (+24%) and Lifford trailed (−6%).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Castlefinn 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 Castlefinn
How many schools are there in Castlefinn?
In Castlefinn or within 3 km of it: 4 primary schools, with 234 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Castlefinn that teach through Irish?
None in Castlefinn or within 3 km of it teaches every subject through Irish; some teach it as a subject only.
Is there a secondary school in Castlefinn?
Not in Castlefinn or within 3 km of it; the nearest is Deele College, 7.7 km away.
What is the best school in Castlefinn?
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 Castlefinn?
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).