Photo: Eirian Evans · CC BY-SA 2.0More of the post-primaries around Celbridge are single-sex than around Co. Kildare’s towns or Irish towns: 50%
Set beside other towns, Celbridge comes out above both Co. Kildare’s towns (10%) and Irish towns (39%). Families in Celbridge have 13 primary schools, 4 secondary schools and 1 special school within 3 km, teaching 7,733 pupils. 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 Celbridge’s schools
A wide choice at twelve
Within 10 km of the town there are 27 post-primary schools to choose from, of different kinds; each sets its own admission policy, and many families apply to several. The nearest: St Wolstan's Community School (1.4 km), Salesian College (2 km) and Celbridge Community School (2.1 km). Post-primary choices ↓
No school in DEIS
None of the schools here is in DEIS, the extra support for schools in disadvantaged areas; across Ireland, 30% of schools are. Who runs them ↓
Facts from the Department of Education’s lists; nothing here judges how well a school teaches.
Who runs Celbridge’s schools
Each school’s ethos, 2025/26: the bars show the share of schools of each kind.
11 of Celbridge’s 18 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Archbishop of Dublin (9), Educate Together (3) and Kildare Wicklow ETB & Archbishop of Dublin (2). None of the 18 is 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.
Where the 18 schools in and around Celbridge 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 Celbridge’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 Celbridge
Schools by the language they teach in; the black tick is Ireland’s share.
1 of Celbridge’s 18 schools teach every subject through Irish: Scoil Ui Fhiaich.
Who Celbridge’s schools serve
How the area’s pupils divide, against Co. Kildare’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 Celbridge | Co. Kildare | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 0% | 17% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| Girls | 49% | 49% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 55% | 26% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 0% | 6% | 6% |
0% of the pupils around Celbridge are at a DEIS school, fewer than the 27% across Ireland (17% in Co. Kildare). Furthest from Ireland’s mix is the share of post-primary pupils at single-sex schools: 55% here against 29%.
Each of the 18 schools
| School | Pupils | Girls | DEIS | All-Irish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Wolstan's Community SchoolPost-primary · Community school | 846 | 100% | ||
| Aghards N.S.Primary | 660 | 51% | ||
| Scoil na MainistreachPrimary | 455 | 35% | ||
| North Kildare Educate Together NSPrimary | 432 | 54% | ||
| Scoil Naomh PadraigPrimary | 374 | 47% | ||
| Scoil Naomh BridPrimary | 235 | 83% | ||
| Primrose Hill N.S.Primary | 109 | 52% | ||
| St Raphaels Special SchSpecial | 96 | 28% | ||
| Salesian CollegePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 880 | 0% | ||
| Celbridge Community SchoolPost-primary · Community school | 712 | 49% | ||
| Scoil Ui FhiaichPrimary | 459 | 47% | ✓ | |
| Maynooth Educate Together National SchoolPrimary | 415 | 46% | ||
| Leixlip Educate Together National SchoolPrimary | 207 | 48% | ||
| Scoil Eoin PhoilPrimary | 264 | 48% | ||
| Coláiste ChiaráinPost-primary · Community school | 676 | 50% | ||
| Scoil BhridePrimary | 295 | 45% | ||
| Scoil MhuirePrimary | 289 | 49% | ||
| St Annes National SchoolPrimary | 329 | 43% |
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.
The 7 patrons of Celbridge’s schools
Each school has a patron that owns it and sets its ethos; its board of management runs it.
The schools around Celbridge answer to 7 patrons, and Archbishop of Dublin leads with 9 of the 18 schools and 40% of their pupils. Education and Training Boards run 3 of them. Educate Together runs 4.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archbishop of DublinAghards, Scoil Ui Fhiaich, Scoil na Mainistreach, Scoil Naomh Padraig, Scoil Bhride, Scoil Mhuire, Scoil Eoin Phoil, Scoil Naomh Brid, St Raphaels Special Sch | Catholic | 9 | 3,127 |
| Educate TogetherNorth Kildare Educate Together NS, Maynooth Educate Together, Leixlip Educate Together | Multi-denominational | 3 | 1,054 |
| Kildare Wicklow ETB & Archbishop of DublinSt Wolstan's, Coláiste Chiaráin | Inter-denominational | 2 | 1,522 |
| Salesian Fathers of Don BoscoSalesian College | Catholic | 1 | 880 |
| Kildare Wicklow ETB & Educate TogetherCelbridge | Multi-denominational | 1 | 712 |
| Bishop of Kildare & LeighlinSt Annes | Catholic | 1 | 329 |
| Archbishop of Dublin & Bishop of Glendalough COIPrimrose Hill | Church of Ireland | 1 | 109 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Celbridge
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.
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, 7 of these 16 schools have grown by 5% or more and 5 have shrunk as much; across Ireland the number of pupils changed by +5%.
All 16 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.
The 18 schools in and around Celbridge
Each school in or within 3 km of Celbridge links to a page of its own. There are no letters or results on these cards, because Ireland publishes none school by school.
Inspection reports for Celbridge’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 18 schools below each link their own.
| School | Reports on gov.ie |
|---|---|
| St Wolstan's Community SchoolPost-primary · Community school | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Aghards N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Scoil na MainistreachPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| North Kildare Educate Together NSPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Scoil Naomh PadraigPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Scoil Naomh BridPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Primrose Hill N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| St Raphaels Special SchSpecial | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Salesian CollegePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Celbridge Community SchoolPost-primary · Community school | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Scoil Ui FhiaichPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Maynooth Educate Together National SchoolPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Leixlip Educate Together National SchoolPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Scoil Eoin PhoilPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Coláiste ChiaráinPost-primary · Community school | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Scoil BhridePrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Scoil MhuirePrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| St Annes National SchoolPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
Department of Education Inspectorate reports on gov.ie, found by each school’s roll number.
Post-primary schools within reach of Celbridge
All post-primaries within 10 km; at about twelve, families choose and apply school by school
Within 10 km of Celbridge there are 27 post-primary schools: 18 ETB schools, 5 voluntary secondary schools and 4 community schools. 5 of them are single-sex, 2 for girls and 3 for boys. One of them charges fees. Every subject is taught through Irish at 3 of them.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Wolstan's Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls | – | 846 | 1.4 km |
| Salesian CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 880 | 2 km |
| Celbridge Community SchoolCommunity school · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 712 | 2.1 km |
| Coláiste ChiaráinCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 676 | 4 km |
| Confey Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 934 | 4.7 km |
| Adamstown Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 981 | 5.5 km |
| Gaelcholáiste Mhaigh NuadETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 154 | 5.6 km |
| Maynooth Post Primary SchoolETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,018 | 6 km |
| Lucan Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 966 | 6.4 km |
| Maynooth Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,013 | 6.9 km |
| St Joseph's CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 934 | 7.2 km |
| Coláiste Cois LifeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 592 | 7.3 km |
All 27 post-primary schools within reach
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coláiste Phádraig CBSVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 745 | 7.7 km |
| Kishoge Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 937 | 7.9 km |
| Griffeen Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 576 | 7.9 km |
| Holy Family Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 998 | 8.3 km |
| Deansrath Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 425 | 8.5 km |
| Eriu Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 193 | 8.5 km |
| Hansfield ETSSVoluntary secondary · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 867 | 8.6 km |
| St. Kevin's Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 525 | 9.3 km |
| Coláiste pobail FólaETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 758 | 9.5 km |
| Coláiste ChilliainETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 400 | 9.6 km |
| Coláiste Pobail SetantaETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,079 | 9.6 km |
| Luttrellstown Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,027 | 9.8 km |
| Collinstown Park Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 630 | 9.9 km |
| Clongowes Wood CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | Fee-paying, Boarding | 421 | 9.9 km |
| St Peter's CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,214 | 10 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Celbridge
St Raphaels Special Sch is the special school here, with 96 pupils. 7 of the 13 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.
Celbridge beside the 64 other Irish towns of 14,400 to 27,800 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlow | 27,351 | 19 | 7,832 | 2 | 42% | 0.7 km |
| … | ||||||
| Ballincollig | 21,940 | 28 | 11,989 | 4 | 14% | 0.6 km |
| Wexford | 21,524 | 16 | 6,749 | 1 | 25% | 0.5 km |
| Carpenterstown | 20,967 | 102 | 40,675 | 5 | 40% | 0.3 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 |
| … | ||||||
| Killarney | 14,412 | 12 | 4,102 | 1 | 8% | 0.8 km |
Among the 64 other towns, 47 have more pupils at their schools than Celbridge does. 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 Celbridge
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 Celbridge had 6,780 pupils in 2015/16 and 7,733 in 2025/26. Maynooth Educate Together National School grew most: +46% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Celbridge
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 Celbridge
Schools in or within 3 km of each neighbouring town; distances in a straight line.
Esker has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 6. Of Celbridge’s neighbours, Maynooth saw the most growth in pupils since 2019/20 (+23%) and Esker the least (−1%); Celbridge itself: +9%.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Celbridge 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 Celbridge
How many schools are there in Celbridge?
In Celbridge or within 3 km of it: 13 primary schools, 4 secondary schools and 1 special school, with 7,733 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Celbridge that teach through Irish?
Yes, 1: Scoil Ui Fhiaich teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Celbridge?
No: all 4 secondary schools here are free.
What is the best school in Celbridge?
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 Celbridge?
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).