Photo: Gpwitteveen · CC BY-SA 3.0Fewer single-sex secondaries around Portmarnock than around Co. Dublin’s towns or Irish towns: 17%
For Portmarnock, that is below both Co. Dublin’s towns (40%) and Irish towns (39%). Families in Portmarnock have 36 primary schools, 12 secondary schools and 5 special schools within 3 km, teaching 18,370 pupils. These schools are described rather than graded, because Ireland publishes no school results 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 Portmarnock’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 39 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: Portmarnock Community School (0.5 km), Malahide Community School (1.7 km) and Grange Community College (3.3 km). Post-primary choices ↓
From the Department of Education’s school lists: facts, not judgements of how well a school teaches.
The 53 schools in and around Portmarnock
Here are the schools in Portmarnock or within 3 km of it, every one with its own page. No letters, no results: Irish schools aren’t ranked one by one.
Show all 36 primary schools
Where the 53 schools in and around Portmarnock 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 Portmarnock’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 Portmarnock
Schools by the language they teach in; the black tick is Ireland’s share.
3 of Portmarnock’s 53 schools teach every subject through Irish: Gaelcholáiste Reachrann, Gaelscoil Ghráinne Mhaol and Gaelscoil Mide.
Who Portmarnock’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 Portmarnock | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 18% | 28% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 4% | 6% | 6% |
| Girls | 49% | 49% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 19% | 38% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 7% | 18% | 6% |
Around Portmarnock, 18% of pupils attend a school in DEIS; across Ireland it is 27%, and 28% in Co. Dublin. Where this area differs most from Ireland is post-primary pupils at single-sex schools, at 19% against 29%. Grange Community College, with 553 pupils, is the largest school here in DEIS.
Each of the 53 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 Portmarnock’s schools
Ethos as listed for 2025/26: each bar splits the schools by who runs them.
34 of Portmarnock’s 53 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Archbishop of Dublin (29), Educate Together (5) and St Michael's House (3). 14 of the 53 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 Portmarnock’s schools
Patrons own the schools and set their ethos; boards of management run them day to day.
The schools around Portmarnock answer to 15 patrons, and Archbishop of Dublin leads with 29 of the 53 schools and 47% of their pupils. 6 are ETB schools. Educate Together runs 5.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archbishop of DublinSt Oliver Plunkett, John Paul II, Scoil Naomh Mearnog, St. Francis of Assisi, St Fintans, St Laurence's, Holy Trinity Sen, S.N. Muire agus Iosef, St Helens Senior, S.N. N Sailbheastar Nfa, Scoil Bhride, St Helens Junior, Mhuire Iosef Junior, St Josephs, St Pauls Sen, Gaelscoil Mide, Scoil Naomh Colmcille, St Pauls Junior, St Francis Senior, Our Lady Immac Sen, San Nioclas Myra, St Benedicts and St Marys, St Francis Junior, Darndale N.S. Junior, St Kevins Junior, Scoil Eoin, St Malachys B, St Eithnes Senior Girls, St Monicas | Catholic | 29 | 8,718 |
| Educate TogetherBelmayne Educate Together, Belmayne Educate Together, Malahide / Portmarnock Educate Together, Stapolin Educate Together, North Bay Educate Together NS | Multi-denominational | 5 | 1,921 |
| St Michael's HouseSt Michael's House Special National School Foxfield, St Michaels House Special School, St Michaels Hse Sp Sch | Multi-denominational, Catholic | 3 | 169 |
| Dublin & Dún Laoghaire ETB & Archbishop of DublinMalahide, Portmarnock | Inter-denominational | 2 | 2,205 |
| Le Chéile Schools TrustSanta Sabina Dominican College, Árdscoil La Salle | Catholic | 2 | 1,043 |
| Dublin & Dún Laoghaire ETBGrange, Gaelcholáiste Reachrann | Inter-denominational | 2 | 1,006 |
| Archbishop of Dublin & Bishop of Glendalough COISt Andrews, Burrow | Church of Ireland | 2 | 402 |
| City of Dublin ETB & Congregation of Christian BrothersPobalscoil Neasáin | Inter-denominational | 1 | 831 |
| 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 |
| Dublin & Dún Laoghaire ETB & Marist FathersThe Donahies | Inter-denominational | 1 | 488 |
| Religious Sisters of CharitySt Marys | Catholic | 1 | 230 |
| 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 Portmarnock
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
9 schools here have grown by 5% or more since 2019/20, 24 have shrunk by as much, out of 46; across Ireland: +5%.
All 46 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 Portmarnock’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 53 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 Portmarnock
Every post-primary school within 10 km of the town; families choose and apply to each, at about twelve
Within 10 km of Portmarnock there are 39 post-primary schools: 22 voluntary secondary schools, 10 ETB schools, 5 community schools and 2 comprehensive schools. 14 teach girls and boys apart: 9 girls’ and 5 boys’ schools. One of them charges fees. Just one teaches every subject through Irish.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portmarnock Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 955 | 0.5 km |
| Malahide Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,250 | 1.7 km |
| Grange Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 553 | 3.3 km |
| Gaelcholáiste ReachrannETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 453 | 3.3 km |
| St Marys Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 230 | 3.4 km |
| Belmayne Educate Together Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 595 | 3.6 km |
| Pobalscoil NeasáinCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 831 | 3.9 km |
| St. Fintan's High SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 714 | 4.4 km |
| The Donahies Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 488 | 4.5 km |
| Malahide & Portmarnock Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 696 | 4.7 km |
| Árdscoil La SalleVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 289 | 4.8 km |
| Santa Sabina Dominican CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 754 | 5 km |
All 39 post-primary schools within reach
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manor House SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 652 | 6 km |
| Coolock Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 205 | 6.2 km |
| Mercy College CoolockVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 402 | 6.2 km |
| Sutton Park SchoolVoluntary secondary · Church of Ireland | Girls and boys | Fee-paying | 503 | 6.3 km |
| Chanel CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 451 | 6.3 km |
| Fingal Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 864 | 6.5 km |
| Coláiste ChoilmVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 421 | 6.6 km |
| St Marys Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 320 | 7 km |
| Donabate Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 799 | 7 km |
| St Pauls CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 650 | 7.1 km |
| St Finians Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 671 | 7.3 km |
| St. David's CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 550 | 7.5 km |
| Our Lady Of Mercy CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 407 | 7.8 km |
| Loreto CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 655 | 7.9 km |
| Ellenfield Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 150 | 8.5 km |
| Holy Faith Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 647 | 8.5 km |
| Swords Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 952 | 8.7 km |
| Mount Temple Comprehensive SchoolComprehensive · Church of Ireland | Girls and boys | – | 903 | 8.7 km |
| Maryfield CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 527 | 8.7 km |
| Árdscoil RísVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 563 | 8.9 km |
| St. Aidan's C.B.S.Voluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 725 | 9.1 km |
| Clonturk CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 968 | 9.2 km |
| Trinity Comprehensive SchoolComprehensive · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 564 | 9.3 km |
| Marino CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 297 | 9.5 km |
| Dominican CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 799 | 9.6 km |
| St Josephs C.B.S.Voluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 310 | 9.6 km |
| Rosmini Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 139 | 9.7 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Portmarnock
5 special schools serve the area: St Michaels House Special School, Belmayne Community Special School, ABACAS Kilbarrack, St Michael's House Special National School Foxfield and St Michaels Hse Sp Sch, 225 pupils between them. 20 of the 36 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.
Portmarnock beside the 87 other Irish towns of 7,500 to 14,500 people
Towns of a similar size, with the schools in or within 3 km of each; ordered by population, never ranked
| Town | People | Schools | Pupils | All-Irish | DEIS schools | Nearest post-primary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Killarney | 14,412 | 12 | 4,102 | 1 | 8% | 0.8 km |
| … | ||||||
| Palmerston | 11,012 | 80 | 33,167 | 7 | 40% | 0.4 km |
| Shankill | 11,009 | 43 | 13,386 | 5 | 28% | 1.9 km |
| Longford | 10,952 | 12 | 3,607 | 1 | 83% | 0.2 km |
| Rush | 10,875 | 13 | 5,851 | 2 | 8% | 0.7 km |
| Portmarnock | 10,750 | 53 | 18,370 | 3 | 26% | 0.5 km |
| Skerries | 10,743 | 14 | 4,988 | 1 | 21% | 0.2 km |
| Ballina | 10,556 | 14 | 2,979 | 1 | 50% | 0.5 km |
| Terenure | 10,391 | 119 | 38,960 | 8 | 37% | 0.3 km |
| Kildare | 10,302 | 4 | 2,671 | 1 | 25% | 1.2 km |
| … | ||||||
| Kinsealy-Drinan | 7,526 | 22 | 11,271 | 1 | 5% | 0.7 km |
Among the 87 other towns, 40 have more pupils at their schools than Portmarnock does. Teaching through Irish is on offer within 3 km in 85 of the 88.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Pupil numbers around Portmarnock
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 Portmarnock had 16,508 pupils in 2015/16 and 18,370 in 2025/26. Belmayne Educate Together Secondary School grew most: +1,883% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Portmarnock
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 Portmarnock
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portmarnock | 53 | 18,370 | 3 | 26% | 0.5 km |
| Malahide 2.8 km | 24 | 12,134 | 1 | 8% | 1.1 km |
| Clongriffin 3 km | 53 | 15,799 | 4 | 36% | 0.3 km |
| Baldoyle 3.3 km | 53 | 16,574 | 4 | 28% | 0.7 km |
| Belmayne 3.7 km | 63 | 17,963 | 5 | 40% | 0.2 km |
| Sutton 4.2 km | 50 | 14,773 | 4 | 30% | 0.4 km |
| Donaghmede 4.6 km | 73 | 21,067 | 4 | 38% | 0.3 km |
Belmayne has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 5. Pupils around Portmarnock: +6% since 2019/20. Among the neighbours, Malahide led (+7%) and Donaghmede trailed (+2%).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Portmarnock 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 Portmarnock
How many schools are there in Portmarnock?
In Portmarnock or within 3 km of it: 36 primary schools, 12 secondary schools and 5 special schools, with 18,370 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Portmarnock that teach through Irish?
Yes, 3: Gaelcholáiste Reachrann, Gaelscoil Ghráinne Mhaol and Gaelscoil Mide teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Portmarnock?
1 of the 12: Sutton Park School. The others are free.
What is the best school in Portmarnock?
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 Portmarnock?
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).