S.N. Naomh Chiarain
Rathdowney Road, Johnstown, Co. Kilkenny · E41 N820 · Roll number 17339K
S.N. Naomh Chiarain is the only one of the primary schools in or within 3 km of Johnstown. Every school in and around Johnstown →
What stands out about S.N. Naomh Chiarain
- 90 pupils, near the middle for primary schools in Ireland (the median is 131).
- About as many pupils as in 2019/20 (+6%).
- Teaches through English, with Irish as a subject.
- In 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.
- Its patron is the Bishop of Ossory; its ethos is Catholic.
- The only primary school in Johnstown or within 3 km of it.
Pupils over time
2015/16 to 2025/26S.N. Naomh Chiarain had 90 pupils in 2025/26, against 83 in 2015/16 (+8%). Girls are 44% of them. Its largest roll was 99, in 2022/23. Its roll rose in 6 of the 10 years.
Department of Education enrolments at 30 September each year; girls and boys where the lists give them.
No letter for S.N. Naomh Chiarain
Ireland publishes no exam results school by school, and section 53 of the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing schools by them, so this school has no letter and nothing here ranks it. Its facts are the Department of Education’s; its inspection reports are linked below.
What the Department of Education does publish for S.N. Naomh Chiarain is on this page: its pupils each September since 2015/16, girls and boys, its patron and ethos, whether it teaches through Irish, whether it is in DEIS, and its inspection reports.
Newspapers print lists of how many of a school’s leavers go on to college. Those count destinations, not exam results, and depend on who a school takes in; we don’t use them.
Inspection reports on S.N. Naomh Chiarain
The Department of Education’s Inspectorate visits schools and publishes its reports. The reports describe what inspectors saw; they give no overall grade, and we don’t make one. Reports for this school on gov.ie ↗
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.
Getting a place at S.N. Naomh Chiarain
Every school admits under its own published admission policy; no admissions numbers are published.
Families apply to S.N. Naomh Chiarain directly. Children can start once they are four and must be in school by six; the school’s yearly admission notice gives the dates for applying and for its decisions.
A school with more applicants than places admits on the criteria in its admission policy, often brothers and sisters, the area it serves and, for post-primary schools, its feeder primaries. A family refused a place can appeal.
It is in DEIS, so it has extra support for pupils from disadvantaged areas.
No figures on applications are published, but the roll shows demand: S.N. Naomh Chiarain has grown by 6% since 2019/20. All the schools around Johnstown together changed by +11%.
Pupils since 2019/20
Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018; Department of Education enrolments 2019/20 and 2025/26 (preliminary).
Side by side with the nearest primary schools
2025/26The nearest schools of the same kind, as the crow flies: their pupils, ethos and language. No results: none are published.
Of the 6 nearest primary schools, 3 have more pupils than S.N. Naomh Chiarain. Since 2019/20 its roll has changed by +6%; 1 of the 6 grew faster.
| School | Pupils | Since 2019/20 | Ethos | Language | DEIS | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S.N. Naomh Chiarain | 90 | +6% | Catholic | English | ✓ | |
| Scoil Mhichil Naofa | 14 | −56% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 3.5 km |
| Scoil an Chroí Ró-Naofa | 223 | −15% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 3.7 km |
| S.N. Mhichil Naofa | 62 | +3% | Catholic | English | 4.6 km | |
| S.N. Chrion Choill | 28 | −24% | Catholic | English | 6.1 km | |
| S N Gort na hUaighe | 132 | +0% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 8.9 km |
| Scoil Tíghearnach Naofa | 108 | +9% | Catholic | English | 9.6 km |
The other 63 primary schools in Co. Kilkenny
| School | Pupils | Since 2019/20 | Ethos | Language | DEIS | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clontubrid Mixed N.S. | 43 | −26% | Catholic | English | 11 km | |
| Scoil Lachtain | 201 | +6% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 11 km |
| Lisdowney N.S. | 96 | +1% | Catholic | English | 12 km | |
| S.N. Tulach Ruain | 91 | −7% | Catholic | English | 13 km | |
| Ballyragget National School | 163 | +20% | Catholic | English | 16 km | |
| Scoil Naomh Ioseph | 127 | +37% | Catholic | English | 16 km | |
| St Aidans N.S. | 175 | −9% | Catholic | English | 17 km | |
| S.N. Colmain | 20 | – | Catholic | English | 18 km | |
| S.N. Lisnafunchin | 32 | −32% | Catholic | English | 22 km | |
| St Canices Central N.S. | 648 | −1% | Catholic | English | 23 km | |
| Kilkenny Mixed N.S. | 198 | −4% | Church of Ireland | English | 23 km | |
| Scoil Iognaid de Ris | 278 | +37% | Catholic | English | 23 km | |
| Holycross N.S. | 72 | −23% | Catholic | English | 23 km | |
| Scoil Mhuire | 400 | −10% | Catholic | English | 23 km | |
| St. John's National School | 441 | – | Catholic | English | ✓ | 24 km |
| S.N. Padraig Naofa | 331 | −15% | Catholic | English | 24 km | |
| Scoil Naomh Eoin Dea | 330 | −2% | Catholic | English | 24 km | |
| Church Hill Mixed N.S. | 192 | +14% | Catholic | English | 24 km | |
| Scoil Íosagáin | 121 | – | Catholic | English | ✓ | 24 km |
| Kilkenny School Project | 236 | +1% | Multi-denominational | English | 24 km | |
| Wandesforde Mixed N.S. | 52 | −10% | Church of Ireland | English | 24 km | |
| Gaelscoil Osrai | 438 | −5% | Catholic | All in Irish | 25 km | |
| Bunscoil McAuley Rice | 406 | −9% | Catholic | English | 25 km | |
| S.N. Bhreandain Naofa | 192 | −11% | Catholic | English | 26 km | |
| Burnchurch National School | 44 | −28% | Catholic | English | 26 km | |
| S.N. Tobair Eoin Baisde | 45 | −34% | Catholic | English | 27 km | |
| St Michaels National School | 63 | +34% | Catholic | English | 28 km | |
| S.N. an Moinin Rua | 127 | +2% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 29 km |
| S.N. Naomh Colmain | 204 | −5% | Catholic | English | 29 km | |
| St Patricks N.S. | 57 | −25% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 30 km |
| S.N. Bhrighde | 46 | −12% | Catholic | English | 30 km | |
| S.N. Bhridhe | 27 | – | Catholic | English | 31 km | |
| Bennettsbridge National School | 206 | +7% | Catholic | English | 31 km | |
| Scoil San Lionard | 115 | −15% | Catholic | English | 33 km | |
| S.N. Chiaran Naofa | 142 | +29% | Catholic | English | 33 km | |
| S N San Nioclas | 120 | +3% | Catholic | English | 34 km | |
| S.N. Muire | 197 | −24% | Catholic | English | 35 km | |
| Kilmoganny Mixed N.S. | 23 | +10% | Catholic | English | 36 km | |
| Scoil Bhride B7C | 217 | −15% | Catholic | English | 37 km | |
| St Brendans Mixed N.S. | 50 | −17% | Catholic | English | 37 km | |
| St Mary's National School | 398 | −12% | Catholic | Some subjects in Irish | 38 km | |
| S.N. Naomh Padraig Mxd | 173 | −3% | Catholic | English | 40 km | |
| Goresbridge N.S. | 68 | −23% | Catholic | English | 40 km | |
| S.N. Moin Ruadh Mixed | 56 | +0% | Catholic | English | 42 km | |
| Skeaghvastheen N.S. | 85 | −13% | Catholic | English | 42 km | |
| Owning National School | 100 | +0% | Catholic | English | 43 km | |
| S.N. Cholmcille | 104 | −27% | Catholic | English | 44 km | |
| Templeorum N.S. | 38 | −32% | Catholic | English | 45 km | |
| S.N. Muire Gan Smal | 148 | −8% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 47 km |
| S.N. Baile an Phiull | 254 | −23% | Catholic | English | 47 km | |
| Graig na Manach Buac | 68 | −9% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 47 km |
| St Beacons N.S. | 175 | −5% | Catholic | English | 50 km | |
| Scoil Mholainge Listerlin | 148 | +9% | Catholic | English | 50 km | |
| The Rower Mixed N.S. | 115 | −33% | Catholic | English | 52 km | |
| S.N. Baile an Fhasaigh | 54 | −10% | Catholic | English | 54 km | |
| Scoil Mhuire | 261 | −6% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 54 km |
| St. Senan's National School | 176 | +2% | Catholic | English | 55 km | |
| Colmcille Mixed N.S. | 20 | −29% | Catholic | English | 55 km | |
| S.N. Seamus Naofa | 91 | −13% | Catholic | English | 57 km | |
| Carigeen N.S. | 123 | −23% | Catholic | English | 58 km | |
| S.N. Naomh Padraigh | 202 | +3% | Catholic | English | 58 km | |
| Ringville National School | 35 | −31% | Catholic | English | 62 km | |
| Slieverue Mixed N.S. | 208 | −8% | Catholic | English | 62 km |
Living in Johnstown
The town’s figures, not this street’s.
Homes in the E41 Eircode area
Housing in Johnstown →The median sale price rose from €203,500 in 2023 to €250,000 in 2025 (+23%).
New against second-hand, 2023 to 2025
Property Price Register sales in the E41 Eircode routing area, 2023 to 2025.
Renting in Co. Kilkenny
Cost of living in Johnstown →New tenancies in Co. Kilkenny averaged €1,207 a month in 2025, against €1,119 in 2024 (+8%).
Residential Tenancies Board rent index, new tenancies, 2024 and 2025.
Location
Directions ↗Johnstown, E41 N820
Primary schools near S.N. Naomh Chiarain
Nearest first, as the crow flies, up to 25 km. Each school’s own admission policy decides who gets a place.
Questions about S.N. Naomh Chiarain
Is S.N. Naomh Chiarain a good school?
We don’t grade it: Ireland publishes no exam results school by school, and section 53 of the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing them. Its inspection reports on gov.ie, a visit and a talk with the principal will tell you more than any table could.
How many pupils does S.N. Naomh Chiarain have?
90 pupils in 2025/26. That is +6% since 2019/20.
Does S.N. Naomh Chiarain teach through Irish?
No: S.N. Naomh Chiarain teaches in English, with Irish as a subject.
Who runs S.N. Naomh Chiarain?
S.N. Naomh Chiarain has a Catholic ethos. Its patron is Bishop of Ossory.
How do pupils get a place at S.N. Naomh Chiarain?
Apply to the school directly. It publishes an admission policy and a yearly admission notice with its dates; if more children apply than it has places, it admits on the criteria in its policy.
Which schools of the same kind are near S.N. Naomh Chiarain?
The nearest are Scoil Mhichil Naofa (3.5 km), Scoil an Chroí Ró-Naofa (3.7 km) and S.N. Mhichil Naofa (4.6 km).
Sources: Department of Education, school lists 2025/26 (preliminary) and enrolments since 2015/16, CC BY 4.0 · inspection reports on gov.ie, linked by roll number. Under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
Facts from the Department of Education’s school lists. Listed with Johnstown; nothing here rates the school.
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).