Photo: Sarah777 · Public domain7 of the secondary schools in and around Killiney charge fees
All-Irish schools make up 2% of those around Killiney, below both Co. Dublin’s towns (7%) and Irish towns (8%). 27 primary schools, 14 secondary schools and 4 special schools are in or within 3 km of Killiney, with 13,019 pupils between them. These schools are described rather than graded, because Ireland publishes no school results and the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing them.
Counted from the Department of Education’s 2025/26 lists: every school in the town or within 3 km of it, against every school in Ireland.
What stands out about Killiney’s schools
Fee-paying secondary schools
Several of the secondary schools within reach charge fees; the others are free. Fee-paying schools are listed with the rest below, each with its own page. Fee-paying: Loreto Abbey Secondary School (757), Loreto College Foxrock (660), Christian Brothers College (549) and Holy Child Killiney (382), and 3 more. Every school ↓
A wide choice at twelve
Within 10 km of the town there are 42 post-primary schools to choose from, of different kinds; each sets its own admission policy, and many families apply to several. The nearest: Holy Child Killiney (0.6 km), St Laurence College (0.9 km) and Cabinteely Community School (1.9 km). Post-primary choices ↓
Drawn from the Department of Education’s lists; none of it judges how well a school teaches.
The 45 schools in and around Killiney
Here are the schools in Killiney or within 3 km of it, every one with its own page. Without school-level results from Ireland, the cards show no letters.
Show all 27 primary schools
Where the 45 schools in and around Killiney 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 Killiney’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 Killiney
How many schools teach through each language; the tick marks Ireland’s share.
1 of Killiney’s 45 schools teach every subject through Irish: Gaelscoil Phadraig.
Who Killiney’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 Killiney | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 27% | 28% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 1% | 6% | 6% |
| Girls | 54% | 49% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 54% | 38% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 53% | 18% | 6% |
27% of the pupils around Killiney are at a DEIS school, close to the 27% across Ireland (28% in Co. Dublin). Furthest from Ireland’s mix is the share of post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools: 53% here against 6%. The biggest school in DEIS is Woodbrook College (623 pupils).
Each of the 45 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 Killiney’s schools
Each school’s ethos, 2025/26: the bars show the share of schools of each kind.
29 of Killiney’s 45 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Archbishop of Dublin (17), Archbishop of Dublin & Bishop of Glendalough COI (4) and Educate Together (4). 14 of the 45 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 18 patrons of Killiney’s schools
Each school has a patron that owns it and sets its ethos; its board of management runs it.
Of the 45 schools around Killiney, 17 have Archbishop of Dublin as patron, teaching 38% of the pupils; 18 patrons in all. Education and Training Boards run 3 of them. Educate Together runs 5.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archbishop of DublinThe Harold School, St Brigids Girls, St Annes Mxd, St Brigids Boys, Our Lady Good Counsel GNS, Our Lady of Good Counsel Boys, St Josephs, Loreto, Scoil Mhuire, St Kevins, Clochar San Dominic, St Johns, Holy Family School, Scoil Colmcille Senior, Scoil Cholmcille Junior, St Columbanus, Harold Boys | Catholic | 17 | 4,924 |
| Archbishop of Dublin & Bishop of Glendalough COIS N Gleann na gCaorach Iníon Léinín, Kill-O'-The-Grange, Rathmichael, Dalkey N.S. | Church of Ireland | 4 | 725 |
| Educate TogetherBlackrock Educate Together, Cherrywood Educate Together, Dun Laoghaire ETNS, Sallynoggin Educate Together | Multi-denominational | 4 | 679 |
| Edmund Rice Schools TrustClonkeen College, Woodbrook College, Christian Brothers College | Catholic | 3 | 1,807 |
| Le Chéile Schools TrustHoly Child Killiney, St Laurence College, St Joseph Of Cluny | Catholic | 3 | 954 |
| Loreto Education TrustLoreto Abbey, Loreto College Foxrock | Catholic | 2 | 1,417 |
| Dublin & Dún Laoghaire ETB & Archbishop of DublinCabinteely | Inter-denominational | 1 | 512 |
| The Dalkey School Project & Educate TogetherMonkstown Eucate Together NS | Multi-denominational | 1 | 415 |
| Board of Governors of Rathdown SchoolRathdown School | Church of Ireland | 1 | 364 |
| Dublin & Dún Laoghaire ETB & Society of the Holy Child JesusHoly Child | Inter-denominational | 1 | 275 |
| CEISTRockford Manor | Catholic | 1 | 273 |
| The Dalkey School ProjectDalkey School Project | Multi-denominational | 1 | 220 |
| The John Scottus Education TrustJohn Scottus | Inter-denominational | 1 | 211 |
| An Foras PátrúnachtaGaelscoil Phadraig | Catholic | 1 | 118 |
| Health Service ExecutiveBallyowen Meadows | Catholic | 1 | 53 |
| Archbishop of Dublin & St John of God Hospitaller OrderCarmona Special | Catholic | 1 | 37 |
| Irish Autism ActionRed Door Special School | Other | 1 | 29 |
| Dublin & Dún Laoghaire ETBOur Lady of Lourdes School | Multi-denominational | 1 | 6 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Killiney
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 7 fee-paying schools here set their 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, 15 of the 38 grew by 5% or more and 17 shrank as much, while Ireland’s pupil numbers moved +5%.
All 38 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 Killiney’s schools
The Department of Education’s Inspectorate: every school’s reports linked, none rated
Each school is visited by inspectors from time to time, for a whole-school evaluation of teaching, learning and leadership, for one subject, or to follow up earlier advice, and every report is posted 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 45 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 Killiney
All post-primaries within 10 km; at about twelve, families choose and apply school by school
Within 10 km of Killiney there are 42 post-primary schools: 35 voluntary secondary schools, 5 community schools, one ETB school and one comprehensive school. Of these, 21 are single-sex: 12 for girls and 9 for boys. Fees are charged at 18 of them. Every subject is taught through Irish at 3 of them.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holy Child KillineyVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | Fee-paying | 382 | 0.6 km |
| St Laurence CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 302 | 0.9 km |
| Cabinteely Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 512 | 1.9 km |
| St Joseph Of Cluny Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | Fee-paying | 270 | 2.1 km |
| Blackrock Educate Together Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 236 | 2.2 km |
| Rathdown SchoolVoluntary secondary · Church of Ireland | Girls and boys | Fee-paying, Boarding | 364 | 2.8 km |
| Holy Child Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 275 | 2.8 km |
| Clonkeen CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 635 | 3 km |
| Loreto Abbey Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | Fee-paying | 757 | 3.5 km |
| John Scottus Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | Fee-paying | 211 | 3.9 km |
| Woodbrook CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 623 | 4 km |
| Loreto College FoxrockVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | Fee-paying | 660 | 4.2 km |
All 42 post-primary schools within reach
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Brothers CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | Fee-paying | 549 | 4.5 km |
| Rockford Manor Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 273 | 4.7 km |
| Coláiste RaithínETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 326 | 4.7 km |
| Stepaside Educate Together Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 741 | 4.8 km |
| North Wicklow Educate Together Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 324 | 4.9 km |
| Newpark Comprehensive SchoolComprehensive · Church of Ireland | Girls and boys | – | 884 | 5.3 km |
| St. Gerard's SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | Fee-paying | 623 | 5.4 km |
| Loreto Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 747 | 6.2 km |
| St Raphaela's Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 637 | 6.4 km |
| Presentation CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 667 | 6.7 km |
| Oatlands CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 623 | 6.9 km |
| Rosemont SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | Fee-paying | 307 | 7.1 km |
| Dominican CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 521 | 7.1 km |
| Blackrock CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | Fee-paying, Boarding | 1,041 | 7.3 km |
| St. Kilian's Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 427 | 7.4 km |
| St Benildus CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 949 | 7.4 km |
| Willow Park SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | Fee-paying, Boarding | 206 | 7.7 km |
| Coláiste ÍosagáinVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | Gaelcholáiste | 488 | 7.8 km |
| Coláiste EoinVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | Gaelcholáiste | 517 | 7.8 km |
| St Andrews CollegeVoluntary secondary · Presbyterian | Girls and boys | Fee-paying | 1,011 | 7.9 km |
| Mount Anville Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | Fee-paying | 726 | 8 km |
| St. Tiernan's Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 368 | 8.3 km |
| Wesley CollegeVoluntary secondary · Methodist | Girls and boys | Fee-paying, Boarding | 942 | 8.4 km |
| Goatstown Educate Together Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 366 | 8.7 km |
| St Kilian's Deutsche SchuleVoluntary secondary · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | Fee-paying | 475 | 9.1 km |
| Our Lady's Grove Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 295 | 9.2 km |
| Ballinteer Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 415 | 9.7 km |
| St Michaels CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | Fee-paying | 731 | 9.8 km |
| St Columba's CollegeVoluntary secondary · Church of Ireland | Girls and boys | Fee-paying, Boarding | 357 | 9.8 km |
| The Teresian SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | Fee-paying | 230 | 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 Killiney
4 special schools serve the area: Ballyowen Meadows, Carmona Special National School, Our Lady of Lourdes School and Red Door Special School, 125 pupils between them. 15 of the 27 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.
Killiney beside the 84 other Irish towns of 6,800 to 13,200 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castlebar | 13,054 | 12 | 4,272 | 1 | 17% | 0.3 km |
| … | ||||||
| Monkstown | 9,831 | 57 | 22,012 | 4 | 11% | 0.3 km |
| Finglas North | 9,805 | 73 | 21,290 | 8 | 62% | 0.7 km |
| Cabra West | 9,786 | 132 | 34,456 | 10 | 63% | 0.2 km |
| Kilmore | 9,786 | 110 | 32,817 | 10 | 42% | 0.6 km |
| Killiney | 9,776 | 45 | 13,019 | 1 | 31% | 0.7 km |
| Donabate | 9,669 | 6 | 2,087 | 1 | 0% | 0.3 km |
| Tuam | 9,647 | 8 | 3,460 | 1 | 25% | 0.3 km |
| Donaghmede | 9,616 | 73 | 21,067 | 4 | 38% | 0.3 km |
| Grantstown and Ballinakill | 9,571 | 31 | 11,459 | 2 | 36% | 2.1 km |
| … | ||||||
| Eyre Square | 6,801 | 36 | 12,413 | 5 | 33% | 1.2 km |
More pupils attend the schools around 45 of the other 84 towns than around Killiney. Within 3 km, 82 of these 85 towns have a school teaching through Irish.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Pupil numbers around Killiney
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 Killiney had 12,524 pupils in 2015/16 and 13,019 in 2025/26. Dun Laoghaire ETNS grew most: +185% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Killiney
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 Killiney
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Killiney | 45 | 13,019 | 1 | 31% | 0.7 km |
| Ballybrack 1 km | 41 | 11,728 | 1 | 29% | 0.9 km |
| Cabinteely 1.9 km | 67 | 21,279 | 4 | 21% | 0.6 km |
| Shankill 2.1 km | 43 | 13,386 | 5 | 28% | 1.9 km |
| Dalkey 2.9 km | 43 | 12,331 | 1 | 28% | 0.9 km |
| Sallynoggin 3.4 km | 51 | 15,036 | 2 | 24% | 0.6 km |
| Foxrock 3.4 km | 80 | 28,450 | 7 | 18% | 0.8 km |
Foxrock has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 7. Of Killiney’s neighbours, Shankill saw the most growth in pupils since 2019/20 (+9%) and Sallynoggin the least (+4%); Killiney itself: +8%.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Killiney 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 Killiney
How many schools are there in Killiney?
In Killiney or within 3 km of it: 27 primary schools, 14 secondary schools and 4 special schools, with 13,019 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Killiney that teach through Irish?
Yes, 1: Gaelscoil Phadraig teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Killiney?
7 of the 14: Holy Child Killiney, St Joseph Of Cluny Secondary School, Rathdown School and Loreto Abbey Secondary School. The others are free.
What is the best school in Killiney?
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 Killiney?
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).