Cloch an Tsionnaigh N.S.
Foxrock, Ballacolla, Abbeyleix, Co. Laois · R32 XH26 · Roll number 15562D
Cloch an Tsionnaigh N.S. is the only one of the primary schools in or within 3 km of Ballycolla. Every school in and around Ballycolla →
What stands out about Cloch an Tsionnaigh N.S.
- A small primary school: 64 pupils, against a typical 131.
- Teaches through English, with Irish as a subject.
- Smaller than it was: 64 pupils, 22% fewer than the 82 of 2019/20.
- Its patron is the Bishop of Ossory; its ethos is Catholic.
- Outside Ballycolla’s outline, 3.6 km away; listed with Ballycolla, the nearest town in its county.
Pupils over time
2015/16 to 2025/26Cloch an Tsionnaigh N.S. had 64 pupils in 2025/26, down from 106 in 2015/16 (−40%). Girls are 48% of them. Its roll rose in 1 of the 10 years.
Department of Education enrolments at 30 September each year; girls and boys where the lists give them.
No letter for Cloch an Tsionnaigh N.S.
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 Cloch an Tsionnaigh N.S. 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 Cloch an Tsionnaigh N.S.
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 Cloch an Tsionnaigh N.S.
Every school admits under its own published admission policy; no admissions numbers are published.
Families apply to Cloch an Tsionnaigh N.S. 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.
No figures on applications are published, but the roll shows demand: Cloch an Tsionnaigh N.S. has shrunk by 22% since 2019/20.
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 Cloch an Tsionnaigh N.S.. Since 2019/20 its roll has changed by −22%; 4 of the 6 grew faster.
| School | Pupils | Since 2019/20 | Ethos | Language | DEIS | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloch an Tsionnaigh N.S. | 64 | −22% | Catholic | English | ||
| Naomh Pius X N.S. | 49 | +58% | Catholic | English | 4 km | |
| Scoil Bhride | 244 | +21% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 6.8 km |
| S.N. Fionntan Naofa | 60 | −22% | Catholic | English | 7.2 km | |
| Scoil Tíghearnach Naofa | 108 | +9% | Catholic | English | 7.6 km | |
| Rushall N.S. | 30 | −27% | Catholic | English | 8.2 km | |
| Our Ladys Meadow National Schoo | 192 | +7% | Catholic | English | 8.7 km |
The other 56 primary schools in Co. Laois
| School | Pupils | Since 2019/20 | Ethos | Language | DEIS | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiladooley Mixed N.S. | 132 | +25% | Catholic | English | 9.2 km | |
| Castletown N.S. | 111 | −8% | Catholic | English | 10 km | |
| St Josephs National School | 95 | −10% | Catholic | English | 10 km | |
| Abbeyleix Sth N.S. | 84 | −21% | Church of Ireland | English | 11 km | |
| Trummera N.S. | 34 | −6% | Catholic | All in Irish | 11 km | |
| Scoil Mhuire | 269 | −14% | Catholic | English | 12 km | |
| S.N. Naomh Colmcille | 71 | +0% | Catholic | English | 12 km | |
| St Fintans N.S. | 108 | +19% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 13 km |
| Tobar an Leinn | 168 | +56% | Catholic | English | 13 km | |
| Scoil Bhride | 95 | +14% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 13 km |
| Cluain Eidhneach N.S. | 89 | +22% | Church of Ireland | English | 13 km | |
| Ballinakill Mixed N.S. | 98 | +7% | Catholic | English | 14 km | |
| Camross N.S. | 156 | +24% | Catholic | English | 14 km | |
| Gaelscoil an Tsli Dala | 49 | +7% | Inter-denominational | All in Irish | 15 km | |
| Paddock N.S. | 80 | −2% | Catholic | English | 15 km | |
| Ballyroan Primary School | 177 | +11% | Catholic | English | 16 km | |
| Cill an Iubhair N.S. | 23 | −30% | Catholic | English | 18 km | |
| S.N. Molaise | 58 | −9% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 18 km |
| S.N. Baile Finn | 208 | −11% | Catholic | English | 20 km | |
| Scoil Bhride N.S. | 727 | −6% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 21 km |
| Portlaoise Educate Together NS | 457 | +11% | Multi-denominational | English | 22 km | |
| Gaelscoil Phort Laoise | 369 | +4% | Catholic | All in Irish | 22 km | |
| Maryboro N.S. | 96 | +5% | Church of Ireland | English | 22 km | |
| Holy Family Senior School | 644 | −13% | Catholic | English | 22 km | |
| Holy Family Junior School | 599 | −9% | Catholic | English | 22 km | |
| Mhuire Fatima N.S. | 193 | +31% | Catholic | English | 22 km | |
| Raithin an Uisce N.S. | 211 | −4% | Catholic | English | 24 km | |
| Scoil an Chroi Ro Naofa | 29 | −6% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 24 km |
| Barr na Sruthan N S | 91 | +42% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 24 km |
| Scoil Mhuire | 9 | – | Catholic | English | ✓ | 25 km |
| Scoil Naomh Abban | 73 | +38% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 27 km |
| Fraoch Mor N.S. | 212 | −10% | Catholic | English | 27 km | |
| Naomh Padraig N.S. | 86 | −2% | Catholic | English | 27 km | |
| Cosby N.S. | 57 | +90% | Church of Ireland | English | 28 km | |
| St Josephs Girls N.S. | 230 | −4% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 28 km |
| Mountmellick Boys N.S. | 188 | −24% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 28 km |
| St Coleman's National School | 318 | +16% | Catholic | Some subjects in Irish | 28 km | |
| St Pauls N.S. | 41 | +32% | Church of Ireland | English | 28 km | |
| Rosenallis N.S. | 75 | −18% | Catholic | English | 28 km | |
| Scoil Mhuire Muigheo | 22 | −42% | Catholic | English | 29 km | |
| Scoil Bhride | 127 | +8% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 29 km |
| Na Carraige N.S. | 204 | −1% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 29 km |
| Scoil Mhuire Naofa Castlecuffe | 53 | −38% | Catholic | English | 30 km | |
| Ballyadams N.S. | 111 | +0% | Catholic | English | 30 km | |
| Emo Mixed N.S. | 207 | −1% | Catholic | English | 31 km | |
| Scoil Padraig | 218 | −16% | Catholic | English | 32 km | |
| Bhride N.S. | 13 | – | Catholic | English | ✓ | 33 km |
| Ardlios N.S. | 50 | −4% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 33 km |
| Scoil Chomhgain Naofa | 380 | −5% | Catholic | English | 35 km | |
| Shanganamore N.S. | 106 | −8% | Catholic | English | 35 km | |
| Rath Mixed N.S. | 194 | −11% | Catholic | English | 36 km | |
| Scoil Abbain Cillin | 99 | +5% | Catholic | English | 36 km | |
| S.N. Naomh Eoin | 374 | −11% | Catholic | English | 36 km | |
| Scoil Phadraig | 521 | −0% | Catholic | English | 37 km | |
| Scoil Náisiúnta Cúil an tSúdaire 2 | 84 | −16% | Church of Ireland | English | 37 km | |
| Presentation Primary School | 496 | −30% | Catholic | English | 37 km |
Living in Ballycolla
The town’s figures, not this street’s.
Homes in the R32 Eircode area
Housing in Ballycolla →The median sale price rose from €250,000 in 2023 to €320,000 in 2025 (+28%).
New against second-hand, 2023 to 2025
Property Price Register sales in the R32 Eircode routing area, 2023 to 2025.
Renting in Co. Laois
Cost of living in Ballycolla →New tenancies in Co. Laois averaged €1,235 a month in 2025, against €1,112 in 2024 (+11%).
Residential Tenancies Board rent index, new tenancies, 2024 and 2025.
Location
Directions ↗near Ballycolla, R32 XH26
Primary schools near Cloch an Tsionnaigh N.S.
Nearest first, as the crow flies, up to 25 km. Each school’s own admission policy decides who gets a place.
Questions about Cloch an Tsionnaigh N.S.
Is Cloch an Tsionnaigh N.S. 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 Cloch an Tsionnaigh N.S. have?
64 pupils in 2025/26. That is −22% since 2019/20.
Does Cloch an Tsionnaigh N.S. teach through Irish?
No: Cloch an Tsionnaigh N.S. teaches in English, with Irish as a subject.
Who runs Cloch an Tsionnaigh N.S.?
Cloch an Tsionnaigh N.S. has a Catholic ethos. Its patron is Bishop of Ossory.
How do pupils get a place at Cloch an Tsionnaigh N.S.?
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 Cloch an Tsionnaigh N.S.?
The nearest are Naomh Pius X N.S. (4 km), Scoil Bhride (6.8 km) and S.N. Fionntan Naofa (7.2 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 Ballycolla; 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).