Photo: John M · CC BY-SA 2.0Most secondary schools around Ferrybank teach boys and girls apart: 5 of 9
56% of the post-primary schools around Ferrybank take only girls or only boys, above Irish towns (39%). 12,081 pupils go to the 20 primary schools, 9 secondary schools and 3 special schools in or within 3 km of Ferrybank. 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 Ferrybank’s schools
Mostly single-sex at secondary
Most secondary schools here take only boys or only girls; the mixed ones are marked on the cards below. Single-sex: De La Salle College (1,023), St Angela's Secondary School (937), C.B.S. Mount Sion, Waterford (494), Our Lady of Mercy Secondary School (479) and Presentation Secondary School (458). Every school ↓
A wide choice at twelve
Within 10 km of the town there are 10 post-primary schools to choose from, of different kinds; each sets its own admission policy, and many families apply to several. The nearest: Abbey Community College (0.6 km), Waterpark College (1.5 km) and De La Salle College (1.7 km). Post-primary choices ↓
Drawn from the Department of Education’s lists; none of it judges how well a school teaches.
The 32 schools in and around Ferrybank
Here are the schools in Ferrybank or within 3 km of it, every one with its own page. There are no letters or results on these cards, because Ireland publishes none school by school.
Where the 32 schools in and around Ferrybank 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 Ferrybank’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 Ferrybank
Schools by the language they teach in; the black tick is Ireland’s share.
2 of Ferrybank’s 32 schools teach every subject through Irish: Gaelscoil na nDeise and Gaelscoil Phort Lairge.
Who Ferrybank’s schools serve
The pupils at the area’s schools by share, beside Co. Kilkenny’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 Ferrybank | Co. Kilkenny | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 43% | 20% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 4% | 3% | 6% |
| Girls | 50% | 49% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 54% | 40% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 0% | 0% | 6% |
Around Ferrybank, 43% of pupils attend a school in DEIS; across Ireland it is 27%, and 20% in Co. Kilkenny. Set beside Ireland, post-primary pupils at single-sex schools stand out most: 54% against 29%. The largest DEIS school here is St Paul's Community College, with 792 pupils.
Each of the 32 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 Ferrybank’s schools
Who runs each school, as listed for 2025/26; the bars give the share of schools of each kind.
25 of Ferrybank’s 32 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Bishop of Waterford & Lismore (15), Bishop of Ossory (4) and Edmund Rice Schools Trust (2). 12 of the 32 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 11 patrons of Ferrybank’s schools
Patrons own the schools and set their ethos; boards of management run them day to day.
Of the 32 schools around Ferrybank, 15 have Bishop of Waterford & Lismore as patron, teaching 37% of the pupils; 11 patrons in all. 2 are ETB schools. Educate Together runs one.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop of Waterford & LismoreS.N. Ursula Naofa, Presentation Primary School, S.N. Deaglan, St Stephens, Mount Sion CBS, Scoil Lorcain BNS, Our Lady of Mercy Senior P.s., St Pauls B, Scoil Naomh Eoin le Dia, Waterpark, An Teaghlaigh Naofa Girls Junior, Gaelscoil na nDeise, Gaelscoil Phort Lairge, St Martins Special Sch, St Josephs Special Sch | Catholic | 15 | 4,425 |
| Bishop of OssoryS.N. Muire an Port Mor, Slieverue Mixed, S.N. Naomh Padraigh, Our Lady of Good Counsel GNS | Catholic | 4 | 809 |
| Le Chéile Schools TrustDe La Salle College, St Angela's | Catholic | 2 | 1,960 |
| Edmund Rice Schools TrustWaterpark College, C.B.S. Mount Sion, Waterford | Catholic | 2 | 1,115 |
| CEISTOur Lady of Mercy, Presentation | Catholic | 2 | 937 |
| Friends Patron Company clgNewtown School, Newtown Junior School | Quaker | 2 | 527 |
| Kilkenny & Carlow ETBAbbey | Inter-denominational | 1 | 1,004 |
| To be decided ETBSt Paul's | Inter-denominational | 1 | 792 |
| Educate TogetherWaterford Educate Together NS | Multi-denominational | 1 | 386 |
| Bishop of Cashel, Ferns & Ossory COIChrist Church | Church of Ireland | 1 | 114 |
| Irish Autism ActionJonah Special School | Multi-denominational | 1 | 12 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Ferrybank
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
9 schools here have grown by 5% or more since 2019/20, 12 have shrunk by as much, out of 29; across Ireland: +5%.
All 29 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 Ferrybank’s schools
The Department of Education’s Inspectorate: every school’s reports linked, none rated
The Inspectorate inspects schools in several ways: a whole-school evaluation covers teaching, learning and how the school is led; a subject inspection looks at one subject; a follow-through checks on earlier advice. Reports go on gov.ie with the school’s reply.
Reports say what inspectors found and what should improve, without an overall grade, so none appears here; each of the 32 schools below links its own.
Department of Education Inspectorate reports on gov.ie, found by each school’s roll number.
Post-primary schools within reach of Ferrybank
Post-primary schools within 10 km of the town; children move at about twelve, and families apply to each school
10 post-primary schools are within 10 km of Ferrybank: 8 voluntary secondary schools and 2 ETB schools. Of these, 5 are single-sex: 3 for girls and 2 for boys. Just one teaches every subject through Irish.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbey Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,004 | 0.6 km |
| Waterpark CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 621 | 1.5 km |
| De La Salle CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 1,023 | 1.7 km |
| Newtown SchoolVoluntary secondary · Quaker | Girls and boys | Boarding | 415 | 2 km |
| C.B.S. Mount Sion, WaterfordVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | DEIS | 494 | 2.1 km |
| Our Lady of Mercy Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 479 | 2.3 km |
| St Angela's Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 937 | 2.8 km |
| Presentation Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 458 | 2.9 km |
| St Paul's Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 792 | 3.5 km |
| Gaelcholáiste Phort LáirgeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 146 | 5.4 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Ferrybank
3 special schools serve the area: St Josephs Special Sch, Jonah Special School and St Martins Special Sch, 208 pupils between them. 6 of the 20 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.
Ferrybank beside the 97 other Irish towns of 4,000 to 7,800 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frankfield and Grange | 7,687 | 58 | 20,798 | 6 | 24% | 2 km |
| … | ||||||
| Rathcoole | 5,792 | 11 | 5,371 | 2 | 9% | 0.5 km |
| Sutton | 5,789 | 50 | 14,773 | 4 | 30% | 0.4 km |
| Harmonstown | 5,769 | 84 | 25,004 | 5 | 39% | 0.4 km |
| Rathgar | 5,768 | 105 | 34,594 | 8 | 21% | 0.3 km |
| Ferrybank | 5,766 | 32 | 12,081 | 2 | 38% | 0.6 km |
| Carrick-on-Suir | 5,752 | 8 | 2,088 | 1 | 63% | 0.6 km |
| Carrickmacross | 5,745 | 6 | 2,352 | 1 | 17% | 0.2 km |
| Portobello | 5,732 | 110 | 29,104 | 7 | 46% | 0.4 km |
| Blessington | 5,611 | 6 | 1,711 | 1 | 0% | 0.2 km |
| … | ||||||
| Newcastle | 4,032 | 31 | 11,321 | 5 | 29% | 0.9 km |
More pupils attend the schools around 47 of the other 97 towns than around Ferrybank. Teaching through Irish is on offer within 3 km in 84 of the 98.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Pupil numbers around Ferrybank
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 Ferrybank had 11,228 pupils in 2015/16 and 12,081 in 2025/26. C.B.S. Mount Sion, Waterford grew most: +54% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Ferrybank
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 Ferrybank
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ferrybank | 32 | 12,081 | 2 | 38% | 0.6 km |
| Waterford City Centre 1.6 km | 33 | 12,411 | 2 | 39% | 0.5 km |
| Poleberry 2.4 km | 29 | 11,782 | 1 | 45% | 0.4 km |
| Grange Upper 2.5 km | 29 | 11,835 | 2 | 41% | 0.8 km |
| Cleaboy 3 km | 29 | 11,782 | 1 | 45% | 0.7 km |
| Grange 3.2 km | 32 | 12,776 | 3 | 41% | 1.3 km |
| Lisduggan 3.3 km | 29 | 11,782 | 1 | 45% | 0.2 km |
Grange has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 3. Of Ferrybank’s neighbours, Poleberry saw the most growth in pupils since 2019/20 (+4%) and Grange Upper the least (+3%); Ferrybank itself: +4%.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Ferrybank 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 Ferrybank
How many schools are there in Ferrybank?
In Ferrybank or within 3 km of it: 20 primary schools, 9 secondary schools and 3 special schools, with 12,081 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Ferrybank that teach through Irish?
Yes, 2: Gaelscoil na nDeise and Gaelscoil Phort Lairge teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Ferrybank?
No: all 9 secondary schools here are free.
What is the best school in Ferrybank?
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 Ferrybank?
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).