Scoil Bhride
Rathdowney, Co. Laois · R32 H773 · Roll number 20071L
Scoil Bhride is the only one of the primary schools in or within 3 km of Rathdowney. Every school in and around Rathdowney →
What stands out about Scoil Bhride
- One of the larger primary schools: 244 pupils, against a typical 131.
- Teaches through English, with Irish as a subject.
- Growing: 244 pupils, 21% more than the 202 of 2019/20.
- 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.
- Has special classes for children who need more support.
- Its patron is the Bishop of Ossory; its ethos is Catholic.
- The only primary school in Rathdowney or within 3 km of it.
Pupils over time
2015/16 to 2025/26Scoil Bhride had 244 pupils in 2025/26, against 205 in 2015/16 (+19%). Girls are 46% of them. Its roll rose in 5 of the 10 years.
Department of Education enrolments at 30 September each year; girls and boys where the lists give them.
No letter for Scoil Bhride
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 Scoil Bhride 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 Scoil Bhride
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 Scoil Bhride
Every school admits under its own published admission policy; no admissions numbers are published.
Families apply to Scoil Bhride 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. Places in special classes and special schools are allocated with the National Council for Special Education.
No figures on applications are published, but the roll shows demand: Scoil Bhride has grown by 21% since 2019/20. All the schools around Rathdowney together changed by +21%.
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.
Scoil Bhride has more pupils than any of the 6 nearest primary schools. Since 2019/20 its roll has changed by +21%; 1 of the 6 grew faster.
| School | Pupils | Since 2019/20 | Ethos | Language | DEIS | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scoil Bhride | 244 | +21% | Catholic | English | ✓ | |
| S.N. Naomh Colmcille | 71 | +0% | Catholic | English | 5.2 km | |
| Kiladooley Mixed N.S. | 132 | +25% | Catholic | English | 5.2 km | |
| Cloch an Tsionnaigh N.S. | 64 | −22% | Catholic | English | 6.8 km | |
| S.N. Mhichil Naofa | 62 | +3% | Catholic | English | 7.4 km | |
| Scoil Tíghearnach Naofa | 108 | +9% | Catholic | English | 9 km | |
| Scoil Mhichil Naofa | 14 | −56% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 9.4 km |
The other 58 primary schools in Co. Laois
| School | Pupils | Since 2019/20 | Ethos | Language | DEIS | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Josephs National School | 95 | −10% | Catholic | English | 9.4 km | |
| Naomh Pius X N.S. | 49 | +58% | Catholic | English | 10 km | |
| Rushall N.S. | 30 | −27% | Catholic | English | 11 km | |
| Gaelscoil an Tsli Dala | 49 | +7% | Inter-denominational | All in Irish | 13 km | |
| Our Ladys Meadow National Schoo | 192 | +7% | Catholic | English | 13 km | |
| S.N. Fionntan Naofa | 60 | −22% | Catholic | English | 14 km | |
| Castletown N.S. | 111 | −8% | Catholic | English | 15 km | |
| Camross N.S. | 156 | +24% | Catholic | English | 17 km | |
| Abbeyleix Sth N.S. | 84 | −21% | Church of Ireland | English | 17 km | |
| Trummera N.S. | 34 | −6% | Catholic | All in Irish | 18 km | |
| St Fintans N.S. | 108 | +19% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 18 km |
| Scoil Bhride | 95 | +14% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 18 km |
| Cluain Eidhneach N.S. | 89 | +22% | Church of Ireland | English | 18 km | |
| Scoil Mhuire | 269 | −14% | Catholic | English | 18 km | |
| Tobar an Leinn | 168 | +56% | Catholic | English | 19 km | |
| Ballinakill Mixed N.S. | 98 | +7% | Catholic | English | 20 km | |
| Paddock N.S. | 80 | −2% | Catholic | English | 20 km | |
| Cill an Iubhair N.S. | 23 | −30% | Catholic | English | 21 km | |
| Ballyroan Primary School | 177 | +11% | Catholic | English | 22 km | |
| S.N. Molaise | 58 | −9% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 25 km |
| S.N. Baile Finn | 208 | −11% | Catholic | English | 26 km | |
| Scoil Bhride N.S. | 727 | −6% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 28 km |
| Portlaoise Educate Together NS | 457 | +11% | Multi-denominational | English | 28 km | |
| Gaelscoil Phort Laoise | 369 | +4% | Catholic | All in Irish | 28 km | |
| Maryboro N.S. | 96 | +5% | Church of Ireland | English | 29 km | |
| Holy Family Junior School | 599 | −9% | Catholic | English | 29 km | |
| Holy Family Senior School | 644 | −13% | Catholic | English | 29 km | |
| Mhuire Fatima N.S. | 193 | +31% | Catholic | English | 29 km | |
| Barr na Sruthan N S | 91 | +42% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 30 km |
| Scoil an Chroi Ro Naofa | 29 | −6% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 30 km |
| Raithin an Uisce N.S. | 211 | −4% | Catholic | English | 31 km | |
| Scoil Mhuire | 9 | – | Catholic | English | ✓ | 32 km |
| Naomh Padraig N.S. | 86 | −2% | Catholic | English | 32 km | |
| Scoil Naomh Abban | 73 | +38% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 33 km |
| Scoil Mhuire Naofa Castlecuffe | 53 | −38% | Catholic | English | 33 km | |
| Scoil Bhride | 127 | +8% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 33 km |
| Fraoch Mor N.S. | 212 | −10% | Catholic | English | 33 km | |
| Rosenallis N.S. | 75 | −18% | Catholic | English | 33 km | |
| St Pauls N.S. | 41 | +32% | Church of Ireland | English | 34 km | |
| St Josephs Girls N.S. | 230 | −4% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 34 km |
| Mountmellick Boys N.S. | 188 | −24% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 34 km |
| Scoil Mhuire Muigheo | 22 | −42% | Catholic | English | 34 km | |
| Cosby N.S. | 57 | +90% | Church of Ireland | English | 35 km | |
| St Coleman's National School | 318 | +16% | Catholic | Some subjects in Irish | 35 km | |
| Na Carraige N.S. | 204 | −1% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 35 km |
| Ballyadams N.S. | 111 | +0% | Catholic | English | 37 km | |
| Bhride N.S. | 13 | – | Catholic | English | ✓ | 38 km |
| Emo Mixed N.S. | 207 | −1% | Catholic | English | 38 km | |
| Scoil Padraig | 218 | −16% | Catholic | English | 38 km | |
| Ardlios N.S. | 50 | −4% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 39 km |
| Scoil Chomhgain Naofa | 380 | −5% | Catholic | English | 41 km | |
| Shanganamore N.S. | 106 | −8% | Catholic | English | 42 km | |
| Scoil Abbain Cillin | 99 | +5% | Catholic | English | 42 km | |
| S.N. Naomh Eoin | 374 | −11% | Catholic | English | 43 km | |
| Rath Mixed N.S. | 194 | −11% | Catholic | English | 43 km | |
| Scoil Náisiúnta Cúil an tSúdaire 2 | 84 | −16% | Church of Ireland | English | 43 km | |
| Presentation Primary School | 496 | −30% | Catholic | English | 43 km | |
| Scoil Phadraig | 521 | −0% | Catholic | English | 43 km |
Living in Rathdowney
The town’s figures, not this street’s.
Homes in the R32 Eircode area
Housing in Rathdowney →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 Rathdowney →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 ↗Rathdowney, R32 H773
Primary schools near Scoil Bhride
Nearest first, as the crow flies, up to 25 km. Each school’s own admission policy decides who gets a place.
Questions about Scoil Bhride
Is Scoil Bhride 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 Scoil Bhride have?
244 pupils in 2025/26. That is +21% since 2019/20.
Does Scoil Bhride teach through Irish?
No: Scoil Bhride teaches in English, with Irish as a subject.
Who runs Scoil Bhride?
Scoil Bhride has a Catholic ethos. Its patron is Bishop of Ossory.
How do pupils get a place at Scoil Bhride?
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 Scoil Bhride?
The nearest are S.N. Naomh Colmcille (5.2 km), Kiladooley Mixed N.S. (5.2 km) and Cloch an Tsionnaigh N.S. (6.8 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 Rathdowney; 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).