Photo: Ro55box · CC BY-SA 4.0Lucan has 2 fee-paying secondary schools in and around it
Girls and boys are taught apart at 15% of the post-primaries around Lucan, below both Co. Dublin’s towns (40%) and Irish towns (39%). Families in Lucan have 49 primary schools, 20 secondary schools and 5 special schools within 3 km, teaching 34,600 pupils. These schools are described rather than graded, because Ireland publishes no school results 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 Lucan’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: Castleknock College (771) and The Kings Hospital (732). Every school ↓
A wide choice at twelve
Families here can choose among 54 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: Lucan Community College (0.4 km), Coláiste Cois Life (1.3 km) and St Joseph's College (1.4 km). Post-primary choices ↓
From the Department of Education’s school lists: facts, not judgements of how well a school teaches.
The 74 schools in and around Lucan
Every school in Lucan or within 3 km of its outline, each linked to its own page. You won’t find letters or results below: Ireland publishes none for single schools.
Show all 49 primary schools
Where the 74 schools in and around Lucan 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 Lucan’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 Lucan
Schools by the language they teach in; the black tick is Ireland’s share.
5 of Lucan’s 74 schools teach every subject through Irish: Gaelscoil Naomh Padraig, Coláiste Cois Life and Gaelscoil Eiscir Riada.
Who Lucan’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 Lucan | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 21% | 28% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| Girls | 48% | 49% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 16% | 38% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 10% | 18% | 6% |
DEIS schools teach 21% of the pupils around Lucan, a smaller share than Ireland’s 27% (Co. Dublin: 28%). The biggest difference from Ireland is in post-primary pupils at single-sex schools: 16% here, 29% there. Of the DEIS schools here, Phobailscoil Iosolde is the biggest: 764 pupils.
Each of the 74 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 Lucan’s schools
Each school’s ethos, 2025/26: the bars show the share of schools of each kind.
42 of Lucan’s 74 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Archbishop of Dublin (37), Dublin & Dún Laoghaire ETB (14) and Educate Together (8). 21 of the 74 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 Lucan’s schools
The patron owns the school and sets its ethos; a board of management runs it day to day.
18 patrons run the 74 schools around Lucan; the largest, Archbishop of Dublin, has 37 of them and 40% of the pupils. Education and Training Boards run 18 of them. Educate Together runs 9.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archbishop of DublinSt Patricks, S.N. Naomh Mochta, Scoil Thomais, St Benedicts, Scoil Aine Naofa, St Thomas Junior, Scoil Mhuire, St Ciarans, Lucan B, St Marys, St. John the Evangelist, St Ronans, St Francis Xavier Senior, Scoil C.ui Dhalaigh, Gaelscoil Naomh Padraig, St Francis Xavier J, Scoil Bride C, Scoil Lorcain B, San Carlo Senior, Scoil Bhride, Scoil Mhuire, Talbot Senior, St Peter Apostle Sen, Divine Mercy Senior, S.N. Oilibheir, San Carlo Junior, Scoil Eoin Phoil, Scoil Nano Nagle, St Philips Senior, Neillstown, Divine Mercy Junior, St Marys Sen, St Bernadettes Senior, St Philip the Apostle Junior, St Marys Junior, St Bernadettes Junior, Scoil Mhuire | Catholic | 37 | 13,674 |
| Dublin & Dún Laoghaire ETBCastleknock, Luttrellstown, Adamstown, Lucan, Kishoge, Scoil Choilm Community NS, Collinstown Park, Coláiste Cois Life, Griffeen, St. Kevin's, Deansrath, Lucan Community, Eriu, Ballydowd High Support Special School | Multi-denominational, Inter-denominational | 14 | 9,250 |
| Educate TogetherHansfield ETSS, Hansfield Educate Together, Griffeen Valley Educate Together NS, Adamstown Castle Educate Together, Lucan East ETNS, Esker Educate Together NS, Castaheany Educate Together NS, Leixlip Educate Together | Multi-denominational | 8 | 3,707 |
| Dublin & Dún Laoghaire ETB & Congregation of the Missions (Vincentians)Scoil Phobail Chuil Mhin | Inter-denominational | 1 | 1,014 |
| CEISTSt Joseph's College | Catholic | 1 | 934 |
| Kildare & Wicklow ETBConfey | Inter-denominational | 1 | 934 |
| Congregation of the Missions (Vincentians)Castleknock College | Catholic | 1 | 771 |
| Dublin & Dún Laoghaire ETB & Archbishop of DublinPhobailscoil Iosolde | Inter-denominational | 1 | 764 |
| Edmund Rice Schools TrustColáiste Phádraig CBS | Catholic | 1 | 745 |
| Board of Governors of King's HospitalThe Kings Hospital | Church of Ireland | 1 | 732 |
| Kildare Wicklow ETB & Archbishop of DublinColáiste Chiaráin | Inter-denominational | 1 | 676 |
| Lucan Educate Together SchoolLucan Educate Together NS | Multi-denominational | 1 | 384 |
| An Foras PátrúnachtaGaelscoil Eiscir Riada | Catholic | 1 | 376 |
| Archbishop of Dublin & Bishop of Glendalough COISt Andrews | Church of Ireland | 1 | 374 |
| 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 Lucan
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 2 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
Since 2019/20, 19 of these 67 schools have grown by 5% or more and 32 have shrunk as much; across Ireland the number of pupils changed by +5%.
All 67 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 Lucan’s schools
The Inspectorate’s published reports for each school, linked, without ratings
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 74 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 Lucan
Post-primary schools within 10 km of the town; children move at about twelve, and families apply to each school
54 post-primary schools are within 10 km of Lucan: 23 ETB schools, 18 voluntary secondary schools and 13 community schools. 11 of them are single-sex, 6 for girls and 5 for boys. Fees are charged at 3 of them. Every subject is taught through Irish at 4 of them.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucan Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 966 | 0.4 km |
| Coláiste Cois LifeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 592 | 1.3 km |
| St Joseph's CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 934 | 1.4 km |
| Adamstown Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 981 | 1.5 km |
| Coláiste Phádraig CBSVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 745 | 1.7 km |
| Kishoge Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 937 | 2.5 km |
| Griffeen Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 576 | 2.5 km |
| Coláiste ChiaráinCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 676 | 3.3 km |
| St. Kevin's Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 525 | 3.3 km |
| Deansrath Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 425 | 3.7 km |
| Confey Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 934 | 3.9 km |
| Collinstown Park Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 630 | 4 km |
All 54 post-primary schools within reach
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luttrellstown Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,027 | 4.2 km |
| Eriu Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 193 | 4.5 km |
| Coláiste ChilliainETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 400 | 4.5 km |
| Hansfield ETSSVoluntary secondary · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 867 | 4.6 km |
| The Kings HospitalVoluntary secondary · Church of Ireland | Girls and boys | Fee-paying, Boarding | 732 | 4.7 km |
| Castleknock Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,318 | 4.9 km |
| Moyle Park CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 763 | 5.1 km |
| Phobailscoil IosoldeCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 764 | 5.2 km |
| Coláiste Pobail SetantaETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,079 | 5.5 km |
| Coláiste BrídeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 993 | 5.7 km |
| Hartstown Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,120 | 5.8 km |
| Scoil Phobail Chuil MhinCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,014 | 5.9 km |
| Castleknock CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | Fee-paying | 771 | 6.1 km |
| Blakestown Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 563 | 6.2 km |
| Celbridge Community SchoolCommunity school · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 712 | 6.3 km |
| Salesian CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 880 | 6.4 km |
| Mount Sackville Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | Fee-paying | 636 | 6.6 km |
| St. Seton's Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Other | Girls and boys | DEIS | 741 | 6.7 km |
| Kylemore CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 479 | 6.9 km |
| Le Cheile Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 944 | 7 km |
| St Wolstan's Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls | – | 846 | 7.3 km |
| Kingswood Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,006 | 7.3 km |
| Coláiste pobail FólaETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 758 | 7.4 km |
| St Aidan's Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 561 | 7.6 km |
| Edmund Rice CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 912 | 7.6 km |
| Rath Dara Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 323 | 7.7 km |
| St Peter's CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,214 | 7.7 km |
| St Marks Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 931 | 7.8 km |
| Holy Family Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 998 | 8.3 km |
| Mount Seskin Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 350 | 8.4 km |
| Meanscoil Iognáid RísVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | DEIS | 521 | 8.6 km |
| Assumption Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 270 | 8.8 km |
| Coláiste de hÍdeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste, DEIS | 266 | 8.9 km |
| Mercy Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 349 | 9 km |
| Killinarden Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 471 | 9 km |
| Old Bawn Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,024 | 9.3 km |
| Our Lady Of Mercy Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 289 | 9.3 km |
| Greenhills CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 186 | 9.3 km |
| St Pauls Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 466 | 9.4 km |
| Gaelcholáiste Mhaigh NuadETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 154 | 9.8 km |
| Tallaght Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 840 | 9.9 km |
| New Cross CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 417 | 10 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Lucan
5 special schools serve the area: Lucan Community Special School, Ballydowd High Support Special School, Stewarts School, Linn Dara Schools and Scoil Mochua, 272 pupils between them. 38 of the 49 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.
Lucan beside the 48 other Irish towns of 16,100 to 31,100 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 |
| … | ||||||
| Newbridge | 24,366 | 18 | 7,450 | 1 | 33% | 0.4 km |
| Balbriggan | 24,322 | 17 | 8,295 | 2 | 29% | 0.3 km |
| Portlaoise | 23,494 | 13 | 6,518 | 1 | 15% | 0.6 km |
| Jobstown | 23,437 | 53 | 19,772 | 5 | 45% | 0.1 km |
| Lucan | 23,033 | 74 | 34,600 | 5 | 28% | 0.4 km |
| Athlone | 22,869 | 17 | 6,365 | 1 | 35% | 1.1 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 |
| … | ||||||
| Dundrum | 16,570 | 89 | 35,482 | 10 | 7% | 0.4 km |
Of the other 48 towns, 12 have more pupils at the schools around them than Lucan. 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 Lucan
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 Lucan had 32,181 pupils in 2015/16 and 34,600 in 2025/26. Griffeen Community College grew most: +317% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Lucan
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 Lucan
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucan | 74 | 34,600 | 5 | 28% | 0.4 km |
| Esker 1.6 km | 56 | 23,239 | 6 | 34% | 0.9 km |
| Ballyowen 2.3 km | 68 | 31,032 | 6 | 32% | 1 km |
| Deansrath 3.5 km | 64 | 26,713 | 6 | 34% | 0.3 km |
| Leixlip 3.6 km | 29 | 13,767 | 1 | 0% | 0.4 km |
| Ronanstown 4 km | 76 | 32,256 | 6 | 40% | 0.2 km |
| Palmerston 4.9 km | 80 | 33,167 | 7 | 40% | 0.4 km |
Palmerston has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 7. Pupils around Lucan: +1% since 2019/20. Among the neighbours, Leixlip led (+6%) and Ballyowen trailed (−1%).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Lucan 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 Lucan
How many schools are there in Lucan?
In Lucan or within 3 km of it: 49 primary schools, 20 secondary schools and 5 special schools, with 34,600 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Lucan that teach through Irish?
Yes, 5: Gaelscoil Naomh Padraig, Coláiste Cois Life and Gaelscoil Eiscir Riada teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Lucan?
2 of the 20: The Kings Hospital and Castleknock College. The others are free.
What is the best school in Lucan?
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 Lucan?
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).