Photo: Sheila1988 · CC BY-SA 4.0The Kings Hospital is the fee-paying secondary school near Esker
Of the post-primaries around Esker, 21% are single-sex, below both Co. Dublin’s towns (40%) and Irish towns (39%). Families in Esker have 37 primary schools, 14 secondary schools and 5 special schools within 3 km, teaching 23,239 pupils. Ireland publishes no school results, and the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing them, so these schools are described here, never graded or ranked.
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 Esker’s schools
One fee-paying secondary school
One secondary school within reach charges fees; the others are free. The fee-paying one: The Kings Hospital (732). Every school ↓
A wide choice at twelve
Within 10 km of the town there are 65 post-primary schools to choose from, of different kinds; each sets its own admission policy, and many families apply to several. The nearest: Coláiste Cois Life (0.9 km), Kishoge Community College (0.9 km) and Griffeen Community College (0.9 km). Post-primary choices ↓
Drawn from the Department of Education’s lists; none of it judges how well a school teaches.
The 56 schools in and around Esker
Every school in Esker or within 3 km of its outline, each linked to its own page. Without school-level results from Ireland, the cards show no letters.
Show all 37 primary schools
Where the 56 schools in and around Esker 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 Esker’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 Esker
How many schools teach through each language; the tick marks Ireland’s share.
6 of Esker’s 56 schools teach every subject through Irish: Coláiste Cois Life, Gaelscoil Eiscir Riada and Gaelscoil Naomh Padraig.
Who Esker’s schools serve
Shares of the pupils at the area’s schools, beside Co. Dublin’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 Esker | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 29% | 28% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 10% | 6% | 6% |
| Girls | 48% | 49% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 24% | 38% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 7% | 18% | 6% |
Around Esker, 29% of pupils attend a school in DEIS, near Ireland’s 27% and Co. Dublin’s 28%. Phobailscoil Iosolde, with 764 pupils, is the largest school here in DEIS.
Each of the 56 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 Esker’s schools
Who runs each school, as listed for 2025/26; the bars give the share of schools of each kind.
33 of Esker’s 56 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Archbishop of Dublin (28), Dublin & Dún Laoghaire ETB (11) and Educate Together (4). 19 of the 56 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 15 patrons of Esker’s schools
Patrons own the schools and set their ethos; boards of management run them day to day.
Archbishop of Dublin is patron of 28 of the 56 schools around Esker, which teach 42% of their pupils; 15 patrons run them in all. The local Education and Training Board runs 12. Educate Together runs 5.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archbishop of DublinScoil Aine Naofa, St Thomas Junior, Scoil Mhuire, Lucan B, St Marys, Our Lady Queen of Apostles, Sacred Heart, Gaelscoil Chluain Dolcain, St. John the Evangelist, St Ronans, Gaelscoil Naomh Padraig, Scoil Naomh Seosamh, St Ultans, Scoil Bride C, Scoil Lorcain B, Scoil Mhuire, Talbot Senior, St Peter Apostle Sen, Divine Mercy Senior, Scoil Nano Nagle, Scoil Naomh Ide, Neillstown, Gaelscoil na Camoige, Divine Mercy Junior, St Marys Sen, St Bernadettes Senior, St Marys Junior, St Bernadettes Junior | Catholic | 28 | 9,702 |
| Dublin & Dún Laoghaire ETBAdamstown, Lucan, Kishoge, Collinstown Park, Coláiste Cois Life, Griffeen, St. Kevin's, Deansrath, Coláiste Chilliain, Lucan Community, Ballydowd High Support Special School | Multi-denominational, Inter-denominational | 11 | 6,414 |
| Educate TogetherGriffeen Valley Educate Together NS, Adamstown Castle Educate Together, Lucan East ETNS, Esker Educate Together NS | Multi-denominational | 4 | 1,695 |
| Archbishop of Dublin & Bishop of Glendalough COISt Andrews, S.N. Naomh Eoin | Church of Ireland | 2 | 465 |
| CEISTSt Joseph's College | Catholic | 1 | 934 |
| Dublin & Dún Laoghaire ETB & Archbishop of DublinPhobailscoil Iosolde | Inter-denominational | 1 | 764 |
| Marist Brothers (Province of West Central Europe)Moyle Park College | Catholic | 1 | 763 |
| Edmund Rice Schools TrustColáiste Phádraig CBS | Catholic | 1 | 745 |
| Board of Governors of King's HospitalThe Kings Hospital | Church of Ireland | 1 | 732 |
| Lucan Educate Together SchoolLucan Educate Together NS | Multi-denominational | 1 | 384 |
| An Foras PátrúnachtaGaelscoil Eiscir Riada | Catholic | 1 | 376 |
| Stewarts Care LtdStewarts School | Multi-denominational | 1 | 145 |
| Central Remedial ClinicScoil Mochua | Catholic | 1 | 69 |
| Health Service ExecutiveLinn Dara Schools | Multi-denominational | 1 | 51 |
| patron not listedLucan Community Special School | Multi-denominational | 1 | 0 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Esker
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 fee-paying school here sets its 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
Between 2019/20 and now, 10 of the 51 grew by 5% or more and 24 shrank as much, while Ireland’s pupil numbers moved +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 Esker’s schools
The Department of Education’s Inspectorate: every school’s reports linked, 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 56 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 Esker
Every post-primary school within 10 km of the town; families choose and apply to each, at about twelve
65 post-primary schools are within 10 km of Esker: 27 ETB schools, 25 voluntary secondary schools and 13 community schools. 15 teach girls and boys apart: 8 girls’ and 7 boys’ schools. Fees are charged at 3 of them. Every subject is taught through Irish at 4 of them.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coláiste Cois LifeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 592 | 0.9 km |
| Kishoge Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 937 | 0.9 km |
| Griffeen Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 576 | 0.9 km |
| Lucan Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 966 | 1.1 km |
| Coláiste Phádraig CBSVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 745 | 1.7 km |
| Adamstown Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 981 | 1.8 km |
| St Joseph's CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 934 | 1.9 km |
| Deansrath Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 425 | 2.2 km |
| St. Kevin's Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 525 | 2.4 km |
| Collinstown Park Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 630 | 2.6 km |
| Coláiste ChilliainETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 400 | 3 km |
| Moyle Park CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 763 | 3.5 km |
All 65 post-primary schools within reach
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Kings HospitalVoluntary secondary · Church of Ireland | Girls and boys | Fee-paying, Boarding | 732 | 3.8 km |
| Phobailscoil IosoldeCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 764 | 4 km |
| Coláiste BrídeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 993 | 4.1 km |
| Luttrellstown Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,027 | 4.1 km |
| Castleknock Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,318 | 4.5 km |
| Coláiste ChiaráinCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 676 | 4.9 km |
| Castleknock CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | Fee-paying | 771 | 5.4 km |
| Eriu Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 193 | 5.4 km |
| St. Seton's Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Other | Girls and boys | DEIS | 741 | 5.4 km |
| Confey Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 934 | 5.4 km |
| Hansfield ETSSVoluntary secondary · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 867 | 5.5 km |
| Kylemore CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 479 | 5.6 km |
| Mount Sackville Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | Fee-paying | 636 | 5.6 km |
| Kingswood Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,006 | 5.7 km |
| Scoil Phobail Chuil MhinCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,014 | 5.9 km |
| Hartstown Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,120 | 6.2 km |
| Coláiste Pobail SetantaETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,079 | 6.2 km |
| St Aidan's Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 561 | 6.3 km |
| St Marks Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 931 | 6.4 km |
| Coláiste pobail FólaETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 758 | 6.4 km |
| Blakestown Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 563 | 6.4 km |
| Le Cheile Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 944 | 6.8 km |
| Edmund Rice CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 912 | 6.9 km |
| Meanscoil Iognáid RísVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | DEIS | 521 | 7 km |
| Mount Seskin Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 350 | 7.2 km |
| Assumption Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 270 | 7.2 km |
| Coláiste de hÍdeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste, DEIS | 266 | 7.3 km |
| Mercy Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 349 | 7.6 km |
| Rath Dara Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 323 | 7.7 km |
| Greenhills CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 186 | 7.7 km |
| Killinarden Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 471 | 7.7 km |
| Old Bawn Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,024 | 7.8 km |
| Holy Family Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 998 | 7.8 km |
| Celbridge Community SchoolCommunity school · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 712 | 7.8 km |
| Our Lady Of Mercy Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 289 | 7.8 km |
| St Pauls Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 466 | 7.9 km |
| Salesian CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 880 | 7.9 km |
| Tallaght Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 840 | 8.3 km |
| St Wolstan's Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls | – | 846 | 8.4 km |
| St Mac Dara's Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 915 | 8.7 km |
| St Peter's CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,214 | 8.8 km |
| Rosary CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 250 | 8.9 km |
| St Dominics CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 790 | 9.2 km |
| Templeogue CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 637 | 9.2 km |
| St Declan's CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 651 | 9.2 km |
| Coláiste MhuireVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste, DEIS | 272 | 9.3 km |
| Loreto CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 320 | 9.3 km |
| Firhouse Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 825 | 9.3 km |
| New Cross CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 417 | 9.4 km |
| Clogher Road Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 297 | 9.5 km |
| C.B.S. James StreetVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 251 | 9.7 km |
| Coláiste EoinETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 257 | 9.8 km |
| Cabra Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 264 | 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 Esker
5 special schools serve the area: Stewarts School, Lucan Community Special School, Ballydowd High Support Special School, Scoil Mochua and Linn Dara Schools, 272 pupils between them. 29 of the 37 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.
Esker beside the 70 other Irish towns of 13,400 to 25,800 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blanchardstown | 24,613 | 91 | 36,302 | 5 | 44% | 0.7 km |
| … | ||||||
| Sligo | 20,608 | 17 | 6,012 | 1 | 35% | 0.6 km |
| Celbridge | 20,601 | 18 | 7,733 | 1 | 0% | 1.4 km |
| Crumlin | 19,287 | 124 | 35,375 | 8 | 52% | 0.5 km |
| Mulhuddart | 19,252 | 50 | 26,364 | 3 | 24% | 0.9 km |
| Esker | 19,110 | 56 | 23,239 | 6 | 34% | 0.9 km |
| Beaumont | 19,072 | 124 | 35,530 | 7 | 48% | 0.5 km |
| Dolphins Barn | 18,799 | 135 | 32,910 | 9 | 56% | 0.4 km |
| Old Bawn | 18,758 | 73 | 26,840 | 5 | 43% | 0.7 km |
| Stoneybatter | 18,644 | 142 | 37,206 | 11 | 53% | 0.1 km |
| … | ||||||
| Mallow | 13,456 | 11 | 4,357 | 1 | 18% | 0.6 km |
Of these 70 other towns, 35 count more pupils at their schools than Esker. 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 Esker
Every school in or within 3 km of the town each September, counted where it stands today.
The schools in and around Esker had 23,065 pupils in 2015/16 and 23,239 in 2025/26. Griffeen Community College grew most: +317% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Esker
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 Esker
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Esker | 56 | 23,239 | 6 | 34% | 0.9 km |
| Ballyowen 1.5 km | 68 | 31,032 | 6 | 32% | 1 km |
| Lucan 1.6 km | 74 | 34,600 | 5 | 28% | 0.4 km |
| Deansrath 2 km | 64 | 26,713 | 6 | 34% | 0.3 km |
| Ronanstown 2.6 km | 76 | 32,256 | 6 | 40% | 0.2 km |
| Palmerston 3.7 km | 80 | 33,167 | 7 | 40% | 0.4 km |
| Clondalkin 4 km | 120 | 39,367 | 6 | 54% | 0.2 km |
Palmerston has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 7. Pupils around Esker: −1% since 2019/20. Among the neighbours, Ronanstown led (+1%) and Ballyowen trailed (−1%).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Esker 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 Esker
How many schools are there in Esker?
In Esker or within 3 km of it: 37 primary schools, 14 secondary schools and 5 special schools, with 23,239 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Esker that teach through Irish?
Yes, 6: Coláiste Cois Life, Gaelscoil Eiscir Riada and Gaelscoil Naomh Padraig teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Esker?
1 of the 14: The Kings Hospital. The others are free.
What is the best school in Esker?
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 Esker?
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).