Photo: Miguel Mendez from Malahide, Ireland · CC BY 2.0Irish-medium schools are unusually common around Letterkenny: 13%, above Co. Donegal’s towns and Irish towns
On this, Letterkenny is above both Co. Donegal’s towns (0%) and Irish towns (8%). Its primary schools are big ones: 403 pupils each on average, against 175 across Ireland. Nothing here grades or ranks these schools: Ireland publishes no results school by school, and the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing them.
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 Letterkenny’s schools
More pupils every year
Pupil numbers at the schools here have grown faster than across Ireland (+5% since 2019/20), so classes and new places are a question worth asking. Pupils over time ↓
Drawn from the Department of Education’s lists; none of it judges how well a school teaches.
Pupil numbers around Letterkenny
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 Letterkenny had 5,723 pupils in 2015/16 and 6,825 in 2025/26. Errigal College grew most: +153% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Letterkenny
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.
The 15 schools in and around Letterkenny
Each school in or within 3 km of Letterkenny links to a page of its own. No letters and no results: Ireland publishes none school by school.
Where the 15 schools in and around Letterkenny 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 Letterkenny’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 Letterkenny
Schools by the language they teach in; the black tick is Ireland’s share.
2 of Letterkenny’s 15 schools teach every subject through Irish: Gaelscoil Adhamhnain and Coláiste Ailigh.
Who Letterkenny’s schools serve
How the area’s pupils divide, against Co. Donegal’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 Letterkenny | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 26% | 62% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 11% | 10% | 6% |
| Girls | 47% | 49% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 66% | 13% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 0% | 0% | 6% |
26% of the pupils around Letterkenny are at a DEIS school, close to the 27% across Ireland (62% in Co. Donegal). Where this area differs most from Ireland is post-primary pupils at single-sex schools, at 66% against 29%. Errigal College, with 662 pupils, is the largest school here in DEIS.
Each of the 15 schools
| School | Pupils | Girls | DEIS | All-Irish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Eunan's CollegePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 1,003 | 0% | ||
| Loreto Secondary SchoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 938 | 100% | ||
| Errigal CollegePost-primary · ETB | 662 | 42% | ✓ | |
| Scoil ChoilmcillePrimary | 659 | 40% | ✓ | |
| S.N. Muire Gan SmalPrimary | 480 | 59% | ||
| S N Talamh na CoillePrimary | 467 | 42% | ||
| Letterkenny Educate Together NSPrimary | 420 | 47% | ✓ | |
| Gaelscoil AdhamhnainPrimary | 410 | 53% | ✓ | |
| Coláiste AilighPost-primary · ETB | 324 | 56% | ✓ | |
| S.N. Baile RaighinPrimary | 215 | 50% | ||
| Little Angels Spec SchSpecial | 145 | 23% | ||
| St Bernadette Spec SchSpecial | 129 | 33% | ||
| St Patricks N.S.Primary | 426 | 48% | ||
| Cashelshanaghan N.S.Primary | 28 | 46% | ||
| Scoil Naomh FiachraPrimary | 519 | 45% |
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 Letterkenny’s schools
Each school’s ethos, 2025/26: the bars show the share of schools of each kind.
10 of Letterkenny’s 15 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Bishop of Raphoe (8), Donegal ETB (2) and Loreto Education Trust (1). 3 of the 15 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 7 patrons of Letterkenny’s schools
Each school has a patron that owns it and sets its ethos; its board of management runs it.
7 patrons run the 15 schools around Letterkenny; the largest, Bishop of Raphoe, has 8 of them and 60% of the pupils. Education and Training Boards run 2 of them. Educate Together runs one.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop of RaphoeSt Eunan's College, Scoil Choilmcille, Scoil Naomh Fiachra, S.N. Muire Gan Smal, S N Talamh na Coille, St Patricks, Gaelscoil Adhamhnain, St Bernadette Spec Sch | Catholic | 8 | 4,093 |
| Donegal ETBErrigal College, Coláiste Ailigh | Multi-denominational, Inter-denominational | 2 | 986 |
| Loreto Education TrustLoreto | Catholic | 1 | 938 |
| Educate TogetherLetterkenny Educate Together NS | Multi-denominational | 1 | 420 |
| Joint patronage between Bishop of Derry & Raphoe COI and the Presbytery of Derry & DonegalS.N. Baile Raighin | Church of Ireland | 1 | 215 |
| Little Angels Association LetterkennyLittle Angels Spec Sch | Catholic | 1 | 145 |
| Presbytery of Derry & DonegalCashelshanaghan | Presbyterian | 1 | 28 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Letterkenny
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
Between 2019/20 and now, 6 of the 13 grew by 5% or more and 4 shrank as much, while Ireland’s pupil numbers moved +5%.
All 13 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 Letterkenny’s schools
Reports from the Department of Education’s Inspectorate, every school’s linked and none rated
Inspectors visit every kind of school. Whole-school evaluations look at teaching and learning, leadership and management; subject inspections look at one subject; follow-through inspections check whether earlier advice was taken. Each report is published 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 15 schools below each link their own.
| School | Reports on gov.ie |
|---|---|
| St Eunan's CollegePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Loreto Secondary SchoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Errigal CollegePost-primary · ETB | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Scoil ChoilmcillePrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| S.N. Muire Gan SmalPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| S N Talamh na CoillePrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Letterkenny Educate Together NSPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Gaelscoil AdhamhnainPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Coláiste AilighPost-primary · ETB | Inspection reports ↗ |
| S.N. Baile RaighinPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Little Angels Spec SchSpecial | Inspection reports ↗ |
| St Bernadette Spec SchSpecial | Inspection reports ↗ |
| St Patricks N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Cashelshanaghan N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Scoil Naomh FiachraPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
Department of Education Inspectorate reports on gov.ie, found by each school’s roll number.
Post-primary schools within reach of Letterkenny
Every post-primary school within 10 km of the town; families choose and apply to each, at about twelve
Within 10 km of Letterkenny there are 4 post-primary schools: 2 ETB schools and 2 voluntary secondary schools. 2 teach girls and boys apart: 1 girls’ and 1 boys’ schools. Just one teaches every subject through Irish.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Errigal CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 662 | 0.4 km |
| Coláiste AilighETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 324 | 0.7 km |
| Loreto Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 938 | 1.2 km |
| St Eunan's CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 1,003 | 1.2 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Letterkenny
2 special schools serve the area: Little Angels Spec Sch and St Bernadette Spec Sch, 274 pupils between them. 4 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.
Letterkenny beside the 51 other Irish towns of 15,800 to 30,400 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ennis | 27,923 | 18 | 7,595 | 1 | 33% | 0.3 km |
| … | ||||||
| Stepaside | 22,796 | 73 | 25,639 | 5 | 14% | 0.9 km |
| Clondalkin | 22,788 | 120 | 39,367 | 6 | 54% | 0.2 km |
| Mullingar | 22,667 | 18 | 6,384 | 2 | 33% | 0.4 km |
| Rathmines West | 22,667 | 136 | 39,314 | 9 | 38% | 0 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 |
| … | ||||||
| Cabinteely | 15,864 | 67 | 21,279 | 4 | 21% | 0.6 km |
Of the other 51 towns, 42 have more pupils at the schools around them than Letterkenny. Every one of them has an all-Irish school within 3 km.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Schools in the towns around Letterkenny
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Letterkenny | 15 | 6,825 | 2 | 20% | 0.4 km |
| Ramelton 10 km | 4 | 354 | 0 | 50% | 6.7 km |
| Convoy 12 km | 4 | 1,290 | 0 | 75% | 4 km |
| Raphoe 13 km | 4 | 1,792 | 0 | 100% | 0.2 km |
| Milford 15 km | 3 | 1,645 | 0 | 67% | 0.5 km |
| Newtowncunningham 15 km | 2 | 280 | 0 | 50% | 14 km |
| Ballybofey-Stranorlar 18 km | 7 | 2,400 | 0 | 57% | 0.6 km |
Since 2019/20 the pupils around Letterkenny changed by +18%; among its neighbours, Convoy’s grew most (+24%) and Newtowncunningham’s least (−11%).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Letterkenny 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 Letterkenny
How many schools are there in Letterkenny?
In Letterkenny or within 3 km of it: 9 primary schools, 4 secondary schools and 2 special schools, with 6,825 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Letterkenny that teach through Irish?
Yes, 2: Gaelscoil Adhamhnain and Coláiste Ailigh teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Letterkenny?
No: all 4 secondary schools here are free.
What is the best school in Letterkenny?
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 Letterkenny?
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).