Photo: William Murphy · CC BY-SA 2.0Pupil numbers around Maynooth are rising faster than around Co. Kildare’s towns or Irish towns: +23% since 2019/20
For Maynooth, that is above both Co. Kildare’s towns (+6%) and Irish towns (+4%). 7 of its 12 schools are multi- or inter-denominational, against 14% across Ireland. Nothing here grades or ranks these schools: Ireland publishes no results school by school, 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 Maynooth’s schools
More all-Irish schools than most places
Families here have more choice of a school that teaches every subject through Irish than in most of Ireland, where 8% of schools do. They are Scoil Ui Fhiaich (459), Gaelscoil Ruairí (173) and Gaelcholáiste Mhaigh Nuad (154). Language ↓
A choice beyond the church schools
Most schools in Ireland have a church patron; here more of them are multi- or inter-denominational than in most places (14% across Ireland). They are Maynooth Post Primary School (1,018), Maynooth Community College (1,013), Celbridge Community School (712) and Maynooth Educate Together National School (415), and 3 more. Who runs them ↓
More pupils every year
Pupil numbers at the schools here have grown faster than across Ireland (+5% since 2019/20), so classes and new places are a question worth asking. Pupils over time ↓
A wide choice at twelve
Within 10 km of the town there are 15 post-primary schools to choose from, of different kinds; each sets its own admission policy, and many families apply to several. The nearest: Gaelcholáiste Mhaigh Nuad (0.3 km), Maynooth Post Primary School (0.7 km) and Maynooth Community College (1.7 km). Post-primary choices ↓
Drawn from the Department of Education’s lists; none of it judges how well a school teaches.
Teaching through Irish in and around Maynooth
Schools by the language they teach in; the black tick is Ireland’s share.
3 of Maynooth’s 12 schools teach every subject through Irish: Scoil Ui Fhiaich, Gaelcholáiste Mhaigh Nuad and Gaelscoil Ruairí.
Who runs Maynooth’s schools
Who runs each school, as listed for 2025/26; the bars give the share of schools of each kind.
5 of Maynooth’s 12 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Archbishop of Dublin (4), Kildare & Wicklow ETB (3) and Irish Autism Action (1). None of the 12 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.
Pupil numbers around Maynooth
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 Maynooth had 4,664 pupils in 2015/16 and 6,742 in 2025/26. Maynooth Community College grew most: +66% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Maynooth
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.
Where the 12 schools in and around Maynooth 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 Maynooth’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.
Who Maynooth’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 Maynooth | Co. Kildare | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 0% | 17% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 12% | 6% | 6% |
| Girls | 43% | 49% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 23% | 26% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 0% | 6% | 6% |
Fewer of the pupils around Maynooth are at DEIS schools than across Ireland: 0% against 27% (Co. Kildare: 17%). The biggest difference from Ireland is in post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools: 0% here, 6% there.
Each of the 12 schools
| School | Pupils | Girls | DEIS | All-Irish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maynooth Post Primary SchoolPost-primary · ETB | 1,018 | 47% | ||
| Presentation Girls Primary SchoolPrimary | 621 | 100% | ||
| Maynooth B N.S.Primary | 595 | 0% | ||
| Scoil Ui FhiaichPrimary | 459 | 47% | ✓ | |
| Gaelcholáiste Mhaigh NuadPost-primary · ETB | 154 | 58% | ✓ | |
| Stepping Stones Special SchoolSpecial | 42 | 7% | ||
| Maynooth Educate Together National SchoolPrimary | 415 | 46% | ||
| Gaelscoil RuairíPrimary | 173 | 49% | ✓ | |
| Maynooth Community CollegePost-primary · ETB | 1,013 | 52% | ||
| Salesian CollegePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 880 | 0% | ||
| Celbridge Community SchoolPost-primary · Community school | 712 | 49% | ||
| Aghards N.S.Primary | 660 | 51% |
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 Maynooth’s schools
Each school has a patron that owns it and sets its ethos; its board of management runs it.
The schools around Maynooth answer to 7 patrons, and Archbishop of Dublin leads with 4 of the 12 schools and 35% of their pupils. The local Education and Training Board runs 4. Educate Together runs 2.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archbishop of DublinAghards, Presentation Girls Primary School, Maynooth B, Scoil Ui Fhiaich | Catholic | 4 | 2,335 |
| Kildare & Wicklow ETBMaynooth Post Primary School, Maynooth, Gaelcholáiste Mhaigh Nuad | Multi-denominational | 3 | 2,185 |
| Salesian Fathers of Don BoscoSalesian College | Catholic | 1 | 880 |
| Kildare Wicklow ETB & Educate TogetherCelbridge | Multi-denominational | 1 | 712 |
| Educate TogetherMaynooth Educate Together | Multi-denominational | 1 | 415 |
| An Foras PátrúnachtaGaelscoil Ruairí | Multi-denominational | 1 | 173 |
| Irish Autism ActionStepping Stones Special School | Multi-denominational | 1 | 42 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Maynooth
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
Of these 9 schools, 5 have grown by at least 5% since 2019/20 and 1 have lost as much; Ireland’s pupils changed by +5%.
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 12 schools in and around Maynooth
Every school in Maynooth or within 3 km of its outline, each linked to its own page. Letters and results are missing here for a reason: Ireland publishes neither school by school.
Inspection reports for Maynooth’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 12 schools below each link their own.
| School | Reports on gov.ie |
|---|---|
| Maynooth Post Primary SchoolPost-primary · ETB | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Presentation Girls Primary SchoolPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Maynooth B N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Scoil Ui FhiaichPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Gaelcholáiste Mhaigh NuadPost-primary · ETB | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Stepping Stones Special SchoolSpecial | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Maynooth Educate Together National SchoolPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Gaelscoil RuairíPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Maynooth Community CollegePost-primary · ETB | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Salesian CollegePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Celbridge Community SchoolPost-primary · Community school | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Aghards N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
Department of Education Inspectorate reports on gov.ie, found by each school’s roll number.
Post-primary schools within reach of Maynooth
All post-primaries within 10 km; at about twelve, families choose and apply school by school
Within 10 km of Maynooth there are 15 post-primary schools: 8 ETB schools, 4 voluntary secondary schools and 3 community schools. 3 of them 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaelcholáiste Mhaigh NuadETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 154 | 0.3 km |
| Maynooth Post Primary SchoolETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,018 | 0.7 km |
| Maynooth Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,013 | 1.7 km |
| Salesian CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 880 | 3.5 km |
| Celbridge Community SchoolCommunity school · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 712 | 3.5 km |
| St Wolstan's Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls | – | 846 | 5.5 km |
| Scoil DaraVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 828 | 5.9 km |
| Confey Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 934 | 6.1 km |
| Coláiste ChiaráinCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 676 | 6.2 km |
| St Peter's CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,214 | 9 km |
| Eriu Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 193 | 9.6 km |
| Hansfield ETSSVoluntary secondary · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 867 | 9.6 km |
All 15 post-primary schools within reach
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adamstown Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 981 | 9.7 km |
| Lucan Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 966 | 9.9 km |
| Clongowes Wood CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | Fee-paying, Boarding | 421 | 10 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Maynooth
Stepping Stones Special School is the special school here, with 42 pupils. 4 of the 6 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.
Maynooth beside the 78 other Irish towns of 12,100 to 23,300 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucan | 23,033 | 74 | 34,600 | 5 | 28% | 0.4 km |
| … | ||||||
| Stillorgan | 18,212 | 81 | 32,574 | 8 | 7% | 0.4 km |
| Templeogue | 18,076 | 118 | 40,646 | 8 | 34% | 0.5 km |
| Dún Laoghaire | 17,994 | 52 | 17,578 | 1 | 19% | 0.8 km |
| Rathfarnham | 17,508 | 111 | 39,391 | 10 | 22% | 0.3 km |
| Maynooth | 17,259 | 12 | 6,742 | 3 | 0% | 0.3 km |
| Rathmines East | 16,923 | 135 | 41,393 | 12 | 36% | 0.2 km |
| Leixlip | 16,733 | 29 | 13,767 | 1 | 0% | 0.4 km |
| Dundrum | 16,570 | 89 | 35,482 | 10 | 7% | 0.4 km |
| Ballinteer | 16,038 | 72 | 28,624 | 5 | 8% | 0.5 km |
| … | ||||||
| Foxrock | 12,163 | 80 | 28,450 | 7 | 18% | 0.8 km |
Among the 78 other towns, 61 have more pupils at their schools than Maynooth 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.
Schools in the towns around Maynooth
For each nearby town, its schools in or within 3 km of its outline, with straight-line distances.
Lucan has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 5. Pupils around Maynooth: +23% since 2019/20. Among the neighbours, Celbridge led (+9%) and Kilcock trailed (−2%).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Maynooth 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 Maynooth
How many schools are there in Maynooth?
In Maynooth or within 3 km of it: 6 primary schools, 5 secondary schools and 1 special school, with 6,742 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Maynooth that teach through Irish?
Yes, 3: Scoil Ui Fhiaich, Gaelcholáiste Mhaigh Nuad and Gaelscoil Ruairí teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Maynooth?
No: all 5 secondary schools here are free.
What is the best school in Maynooth?
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 Maynooth?
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).