Photo: 瑞丽江的河水 · CC BY-SA 4.0Fewer of the schools around Howth are in DEIS than around Co. Dublin’s towns or Irish towns: 11%
On this, Howth is below both Co. Dublin’s towns (40%) and Irish towns (35%). In or within 3 km of Howth: 16 primary schools, 7 secondary schools and 4 special schools, 8,571 pupils in all. Nothing here grades or ranks these schools: Ireland publishes no results school by school, 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 Howth’s schools
One fee-paying secondary school
One secondary school within reach charges fees; the others are free. The fee-paying one: Sutton Park School (503). Every school ↓
A wide choice at twelve
Families here can choose among 23 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: Sutton Park School (0.8 km), Santa Sabina Dominican College (1.6 km) and St. Fintan's High School (2.7 km). Post-primary choices ↓
Few schools in DEIS
DEIS, which gives schools in disadvantaged areas more teachers and money, includes just 3 of the 27 schools here, against 30% of schools across Ireland. In DEIS: Grange Community College (553), St Benedicts and St Marys National School (165) and Scoil Eoin (143). Who goes there ↓
From the Department of Education’s school lists: facts, not judgements of how well a school teaches.
The 27 schools in and around Howth
Here are the schools in Howth or within 3 km of it, every one with its own page. No letters and no results: Ireland publishes none school by school.
Where the 27 schools in and around Howth 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 Howth’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 Howth
How many schools teach through each language; the tick marks Ireland’s share.
3 of Howth’s 27 schools teach every subject through Irish: Gaelscoil Mide, Gaelscoil Ghráinne Mhaol and Gaelcholáiste Reachrann.
Who Howth’s schools serve
The pupils at the area’s schools by share, 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 Howth | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 10% | 28% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 9% | 6% | 6% |
| Girls | 50% | 49% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 36% | 38% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 12% | 18% | 6% |
DEIS schools teach 10% of the pupils around Howth, a smaller share than Ireland’s 27% (Co. Dublin: 28%). Set beside Ireland, post-primary pupils at single-sex schools stand out most: 36% against 29%. The largest DEIS school here is Grange Community College, with 553 pupils.
Each of the 27 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 Howth’s schools
Who runs each school, as listed for 2025/26; the bars give the share of schools of each kind.
15 of Howth’s 27 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Archbishop of Dublin (12), St Michael's House (2) and Educate Together (2). 3 of the 27 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 13 patrons of Howth’s schools
The patron owns the school and sets its ethos; a board of management runs it day to day.
Archbishop of Dublin is patron of 12 of the 27 schools around Howth, which teach 41% of their pupils; 13 patrons run them in all. 3 are ETB schools. Educate Together runs 2.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archbishop of DublinSt Fintans, St Laurence's, Holy Trinity Sen, S.N. Muire agus Iosef, Scoil Bhride, Scoil Mhuire Mxd, Mhuire Iosef Junior, Gaelscoil Mide, Scoil Naomh Colmcille, St Benedicts and St Marys, St Kevins Junior, Scoil Eoin | Catholic | 12 | 3,545 |
| Dublin & Dún Laoghaire ETBGrange, Gaelcholáiste Reachrann | Inter-denominational | 2 | 1,006 |
| Educate TogetherStapolin Educate Together, North Bay Educate Together NS | Multi-denominational | 2 | 536 |
| St Michael's HouseSt Michael's House Special National School Foxfield, St Michaels House Special School | Multi-denominational | 2 | 117 |
| City of Dublin ETB & Congregation of Christian BrothersPobalscoil Neasáin | Inter-denominational | 1 | 831 |
| Le Chéile Schools TrustSanta Sabina Dominican College | Catholic | 1 | 754 |
| Edmund Rice Schools TrustSt. Fintan's High School | Catholic | 1 | 714 |
| Board of Governors of Sutton Park SchoolSutton Park School | Church of Ireland | 1 | 503 |
| Religious Sisters of CharitySt Marys | Catholic | 1 | 230 |
| Archbishop of Dublin & Bishop of Glendalough COIBurrow | Church of Ireland | 1 | 195 |
| An Foras PátrúnachtaGaelscoil Ghráinne Mhaol | Multi-denominational | 1 | 84 |
| Irish Autism ActionABACAS Kilbarrack | Multi-denominational | 1 | 54 |
| patron not listedBelmayne Community Special School | Multi-denominational | 1 | 2 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Howth
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, 5 of the 21 grew by 5% or more and 11 shrank as much, while Ireland’s pupil numbers moved +5%.
All 21 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 Howth’s schools
Reports from the Department of Education’s Inspectorate, every school’s linked and 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 27 schools below links its own.
Department of Education Inspectorate reports on gov.ie, found by each school’s roll number.
Post-primary schools within reach of Howth
All post-primaries within 10 km; at about twelve, families choose and apply school by school
23 post-primary schools are within 10 km of Howth: 15 voluntary secondary schools, 4 community schools, 3 ETB schools and one comprehensive school. 9 of them are single-sex, 6 for girls and 3 for boys. One of them charges fees. Just one teaches every subject through Irish.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutton Park SchoolVoluntary secondary · Church of Ireland | Girls and boys | Fee-paying | 503 | 0.8 km |
| Santa Sabina Dominican CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 754 | 1.6 km |
| St. Fintan's High SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 714 | 2.7 km |
| Pobalscoil NeasáinCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 831 | 3.6 km |
| St Marys Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 230 | 3.6 km |
| Gaelcholáiste ReachrannETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 453 | 5.5 km |
| Grange Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 553 | 5.5 km |
| Árdscoil La SalleVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 289 | 5.9 km |
| Manor House SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 652 | 6 km |
| The Donahies Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 488 | 6.3 km |
| Belmayne Educate Together Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 595 | 6.4 km |
| Portmarnock Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 955 | 7 km |
All 23 post-primary schools within reach
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Pauls CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 650 | 7.4 km |
| Mercy College CoolockVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 402 | 7.8 km |
| Holy Faith Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 647 | 7.9 km |
| St Marys Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 320 | 8 km |
| Malahide Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,250 | 8.1 km |
| Chanel CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 451 | 8.2 km |
| Coolock Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 205 | 8.9 km |
| St. David's CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 550 | 9 km |
| Mount Temple Comprehensive SchoolComprehensive · Church of Ireland | Girls and boys | – | 903 | 9.4 km |
| Árdscoil RísVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 563 | 9.7 km |
| Our Lady Of Mercy CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 407 | 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 Howth
4 special schools serve the area: St Michaels House Special School, ABACAS Kilbarrack, St Michael's House Special National School Foxfield and Belmayne Community Special School, 173 pupils between them. 7 of the 16 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.
Howth beside the 96 other Irish towns of 5,700 to 11,100 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athy | 11,035 | 7 | 2,975 | 1 | 57% | 0.8 km |
| … | ||||||
| Grand Canal Dock | 8,320 | 121 | 32,703 | 6 | 43% | 0.7 km |
| Cherry Orchard | 8,280 | 78 | 26,412 | 4 | 54% | 1.2 km |
| Dalkey | 8,275 | 43 | 12,331 | 1 | 28% | 0.9 km |
| Bandon | 8,196 | 10 | 3,617 | 1 | 10% | 0.4 km |
| Howth | 8,192 | 27 | 8,571 | 3 | 11% | 0.8 km |
| Ballybough | 8,188 | 126 | 34,469 | 8 | 52% | 0.2 km |
| Thurles | 8,185 | 10 | 3,787 | 1 | 10% | 0.3 km |
| Clane | 8,152 | 7 | 3,836 | 0 | 14% | 0.7 km |
| Dubber | 7,941 | 54 | 15,781 | 5 | 67% | 1.8 km |
| … | ||||||
| Portobello | 5,732 | 110 | 29,104 | 7 | 46% | 0.4 km |
Of these 96 other towns, 56 count more pupils at their schools than Howth. Within 3 km, 92 of these 97 towns have a school teaching through Irish.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Pupil numbers around Howth
Each September’s pupils at every school in or within 3 km of the town, counted where the school stands today.
The schools in and around Howth had 7,532 pupils in 2015/16 and 8,571 in 2025/26. St Michael's House Special National School Foxfield grew most: +144% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Howth
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 Howth
Schools in or within 3 km of each neighbouring town; distances in a straight line.
| Town | Schools | Pupils | All-Irish | DEIS schools | Nearest post-primary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howth | 27 | 8,571 | 3 | 11% | 0.8 km |
| Sutton 3.7 km | 50 | 14,773 | 4 | 30% | 0.4 km |
| Baldoyle 4.2 km | 53 | 16,574 | 4 | 28% | 0.7 km |
| Raheny 5.2 km | 70 | 21,242 | 4 | 34% | 0.9 km |
| Clongriffin 5.5 km | 53 | 15,799 | 4 | 36% | 0.3 km |
| Donaghmede 5.6 km | 73 | 21,067 | 4 | 38% | 0.3 km |
| Portmarnock 6.5 km | 53 | 18,370 | 3 | 26% | 0.5 km |
Sutton has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 4. Of Howth’s neighbours, Baldoyle saw the most growth in pupils since 2019/20 (+6%) and Donaghmede the least (+2%); Howth itself: +7%.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Howth 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 Howth
How many schools are there in Howth?
In Howth or within 3 km of it: 16 primary schools, 7 secondary schools and 4 special schools, with 8,571 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Howth that teach through Irish?
Yes, 3: Gaelscoil Mide, Gaelscoil Ghráinne Mhaol and Gaelcholáiste Reachrann teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Howth?
1 of the 7: Sutton Park School. The others are free.
What is the best school in Howth?
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 Howth?
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).