Photo: Kenneth Allen · CC BY-SA 2.0More of the post-primaries around Johnstown are single-sex than around Co. Kildare’s towns or Irish towns: 50%
That puts Johnstown above both Co. Kildare’s towns (20%) and Irish towns (39%). Primary schools here average 548 pupils, against 175 across Ireland. 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 Johnstown’s schools
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 ↓
A wide choice at twelve
Families here can choose among 8 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: Coláiste Naomh Mhuire (3.3 km), Meánscoil Iognáid Ris (3.4 km) and Naas Community College (3.8 km). Post-primary choices ↓
Drawn from the Department of Education’s lists; none of it judges how well a school teaches.
Who runs Johnstown’s schools
Ethos as listed for 2025/26: each bar splits the schools by who runs them.
9 of Johnstown’s 13 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Bishop of Kildare & Leighlin (6), Kildare & Wicklow ETB (3) and Sapling School Company Limited by Guarantee (1). None of the 13 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.
The 13 schools in and around Johnstown
Each school in or within 3 km of Johnstown links to a page of its own. These schools carry no letter or result: Ireland doesn’t release them school by school.
Where the 13 schools in and around Johnstown 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 Johnstown’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 Johnstown
How many schools teach through each language; the tick marks Ireland’s share.
1 of Johnstown’s 13 schools teach every subject through Irish: Gaelcholáiste Chill Dara.
Who Johnstown’s schools serve
Shares of the pupils at the area’s schools, beside 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 Johnstown | Co. Kildare | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 0% | 17% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 5% | 6% | 6% |
| Girls | 50% | 49% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 61% | 26% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 0% | 6% | 6% |
Fewer of the pupils around Johnstown are at DEIS schools than across Ireland: 0% against 27% (Co. Kildare: 17%). The biggest difference from Ireland is in post-primary pupils at single-sex schools: 61% here, 29% there.
Each of the 13 schools
| School | Pupils | Girls | DEIS | All-Irish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scoil BrídPrimary | 612 | 43% | ||
| Saplings Special SchoolSpecial | 30 | 20% | ||
| Mercy Convent Primary SchoolPrimary | 607 | 92% | ||
| Coláiste Naomh MhuirePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 1,076 | 100% | ||
| An Linbh IosaPrimary | 401 | 52% | ||
| Meánscoil Iognáid RisPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 1,013 | 0% | ||
| S.N. BrighdePrimary | 744 | 52% | ||
| Scoil ChorbainPrimary | 460 | 0% | ||
| St Laurences National SchoolPrimary | 646 | 51% | ||
| Naas Community National SchoolPrimary | 364 | 48% | ||
| Craddockstown SchoolSpecial | 40 | 20% | ||
| Gaelcholáiste Chill DaraPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 401 | 58% | ✓ | |
| Naas Community CollegePost-primary · ETB | 928 | 46% |
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 6 patrons of Johnstown’s schools
The patron owns the school and sets its ethos; a board of management runs it day to day.
Of the 13 schools around Johnstown, 6 have Bishop of Kildare & Leighlin as patron, teaching 47% of the pupils; 6 patrons in all. The local Education and Training Board runs 3.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop of Kildare & LeighlinS.N. Brighde, St Laurences, Scoil Bríd, Mercy Convent Primary School, Scoil Chorbain, An Linbh Iosa | Catholic | 6 | 3,470 |
| Kildare & Wicklow ETBNaas, Naas Community, Craddockstown School | Multi-denominational | 3 | 1,332 |
| CEISTColáiste Naomh Mhuire | Catholic | 1 | 1,076 |
| Edmund Rice Schools TrustMeánscoil Iognáid Ris | Catholic | 1 | 1,013 |
| An Foras PátrúnachtaGaelcholáiste Chill Dara | Catholic | 1 | 401 |
| Sapling School Company Limited by GuaranteeSaplings Special School | Multi-denominational | 1 | 30 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Johnstown
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
5 schools here have grown by 5% or more since 2019/20, 4 have shrunk by as much, out of 11; across Ireland: +5%.
All 11 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 Johnstown’s schools
The Department of Education’s Inspectorate: every school’s reports linked, 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 13 schools below links its own.
| School | Reports on gov.ie |
|---|---|
| Scoil BrídPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Saplings Special SchoolSpecial | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Mercy Convent Primary SchoolPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Coláiste Naomh MhuirePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| An Linbh IosaPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Meánscoil Iognáid RisPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| S.N. BrighdePrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Scoil ChorbainPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| St Laurences National SchoolPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Naas Community National SchoolPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Craddockstown SchoolSpecial | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Gaelcholáiste Chill DaraPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Naas Community CollegePost-primary · ETB | Inspection reports ↗ |
Department of Education Inspectorate reports on gov.ie, found by each school’s roll number.
Post-primary schools within reach of Johnstown
Every post-primary school within 10 km of the town; families choose and apply to each, at about twelve
8 post-primary schools are within 10 km of Johnstown: 4 voluntary secondary schools, 3 ETB schools and one community school. Of these, 3 are single-sex: 1 for girls and 2 for boys. One of them charges fees. Just one teaches every subject through Irish.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coláiste Naomh MhuireVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 1,076 | 3.3 km |
| Meánscoil Iognáid RisVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 1,013 | 3.4 km |
| Naas Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 928 | 3.8 km |
| Gaelcholáiste Chill DaraVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 401 | 3.8 km |
| Piper's Hill CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 1,049 | 5.3 km |
| Scoil Mhuire Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,189 | 8.4 km |
| Blessington Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 737 | 8.8 km |
| Clongowes Wood CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | Fee-paying, Boarding | 421 | 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 Johnstown
2 special schools serve the area: Saplings Special School and Craddockstown School, 70 pupils between them. 4 of the 7 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.
Johnstown beside the 135 other Irish towns of 900 to 1,800 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collooney | 1,797 | 3 | 580 | 0 | 33% | 3.4 km |
| … | ||||||
| Castlepollard | 1,349 | 3 | 512 | 0 | 67% | 1 km |
| Lismore | 1,347 | 3 | 1,250 | 0 | 0% | 0.5 km |
| Ballybay | 1,329 | 4 | 772 | 0 | 50% | 0.4 km |
| Ferbane | 1,324 | 2 | 630 | 0 | 50% | 0.3 km |
| Johnstown | 1,320 | 13 | 7,322 | 1 | 0% | 3.3 km |
| Ferns | 1,317 | 2 | 324 | 0 | 50% | 10 km |
| Cahirciveen | 1,297 | 2 | 691 | 0 | 50% | 1.4 km |
| Dromiskin | 1,292 | 1 | 234 | 0 | 0% | 6.8 km |
| Enniscrone | 1,291 | 2 | 381 | 0 | 0% | 0.3 km |
| … | ||||||
| Clarinbridge | 905 | 2 | 451 | 0 | 0% | 5.5 km |
More pupils attend the schools around 2 of the other 135 towns than around Johnstown. Teaching through Irish is on offer within 3 km in 14 of the 136.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Pupil numbers around Johnstown
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 Johnstown had 6,309 pupils in 2015/16 and 7,322 in 2025/26. Naas Community College grew most: +95% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Johnstown
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 Johnstown
Each town’s schools in or within 3 km of its outline; distances as the crow flies.
Naas has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 2. Of Johnstown’s neighbours, Carragh saw the most growth in pupils since 2019/20 (+43%) and Clane the least (+3%); Johnstown itself: +9%.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Johnstown 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 Johnstown
How many schools are there in Johnstown?
In Johnstown or within 3 km of it: 7 primary schools, 4 secondary schools and 2 special schools, with 7,322 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Johnstown that teach through Irish?
Yes, 1: Gaelcholáiste Chill Dara teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Johnstown?
No: all 4 secondary schools here are free.
What is the best school in Johnstown?
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 Johnstown?
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).